Fairly Tepid Whitechapel
by ArthM
Summary: The sequel to 'Ice Cool Whitechapel', continuing from exactly where it ended. New danger, adventure, and maybe even socks. Mostly a general continuation, but with a Benny/Ethan relationship as a sub-plot. Now in episode 5!
1. Episode 1 - Fangs of New York

**I cheerfully present the first episode of the second series of 'Ice Cool Whitechapel'. If you haven't read the first series, then I encourage you to do so! If you have, well, then I suspect that you know what you're in for. I hope to keep this as original as possible. Unlike last time, I won't be as updating this as religiously, but I will try to be as regular as possible. As ever, reviews are enthusiastically received, and, of course, nothing owned by others is owned by me.**

**A note on the Benny/Ethan pairing: it is not intended to be the point of this story. I am not a fan of stories that focus almost exclusively on romantic pairings. I aim to produce this series in much the same way as the last one, and, as such, the relationship(_s?_) will remain firmly in the background most of the time. If you don't like it, then you don't like it - but I entreat you not to dismiss it out of hand.**

**That said, I immediately break my resolution, as this chapter _is_ mostly about the Benny/Ethan relationship. Mostly. So those of you not keen on it can feel free to skip to bottom. Though you might miss some of the jokes.**

**Anyway, speech over, let us return to Whitechapel, on New Year's Day (just) - exactly where we left off...**

* * *

**Fangs of New York**

* * *

**Turning and turning in the widening gyre**

After what seemed like a long time to them both, they pulled apart. Lips wet, Ethan looked expressionlessly at Benny. Slowly, his mouth formed into a broad smile, and he started to giggle uncontrollably, his eyes shining. Inches away, Benny joined in with the laughter. As they laughed, they drew closer together again, until another kiss forced them into blissful silence.

Again they broke apart, and, bright eyed, Benny grinned at Ethan, who looked thoughtful. Benny frowned slightly. "What's wrong?" he asked, nervous.

"I'm not sure…" muttered Ethan. Seeing Benny start in anxiety, he quirked the corner of his mouth up. "You see," he said, hooking his fingers under Benny's collar, "I'm not sure we did it right…" They kissed for a third time.

When that came to an end, Benny rocked back a little and raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

Ethan nodded. "Yes, we did it right the first time." He looked slyly at Benny. "But I think that it's good practice to repeat, just to check."

Benny smiled. "Of course." They sat in silence for a little while, before Benny glanced across at Ethan. "Are you _absolutely_ sure?" he said, hopefully.

Ethan wrinkled his nose and allowed Benny to pull him close. "I don't see how another test would hurt…" For the fourth time in what was, in reality, not quite as many minutes, the two kissed. Afterwards, they sat a little squarer on the steps. After a brief hesitation, Benny slid his hand along the wooden board until his hand reached Ethan's. He took hold of it gently.

Ethan turned his head towards him and smiled radiantly. Benny's heart leapt just to see him there beside him and to know that they loved each other. He sighed contentedly, and then rested his head on Ethan's shoulder. They remained there quietly, until Benny built up the courage to ask something.

"When – when did you know?"

Ethan puffed out his cheeks and thought carefully. "Well… I don't know exactly when it began – in fact, I think that the feeling has been there for a long time – nor do I know when I first start to realise it. I do know, though, when I was _certain_. You were sitting in the kitchen, just last week, writing those silly resolutions. And then there was something in the way you moved, or spoke, or – I don't know – just _were_, and I knew right then and there that there would never be anyone else."

He put his other hand on top of Benny's. "What about you?"

"Six months, eight days, five hours and twenty-three minutes."

Ethan twisted his head slightly. "_What_?"

Benny smiled. "Just kidding. It's what people would say in movies."

"Really cheesy movies."

"Naturally. Well, in all seriousness, like you I don't remember a _start_, but I _do_ know when I realised. It was –" He broke off and reddened. Ethan felt the heat of the blush on his neck. "–It was when I made you disappear. I actually lost you, Ethan. I – I –"

Here, Benny started to sob into Ethan's shoulder. Ethan moved to comfort him, but Benny shook his head vigorously and shifted himself a little closer into his friend's side. After a while, the broken gasps subsided, and, sniffing, Benny pulled himself together. He dried his eyes and nose on Ethan's jumper.

"Thanks, Benny…" muttered Ethan, but still affectionately kissed him on the top of his head. Benny laughed, a little choked, and carried on with his story.

"I knew I couldn't bear to lose you again. From that moment on, I never wanted you out of my sight. I tried to fight it – I tried to force myself to like Erica more, but it was all gone, and I soon stopped pretending to myself. As for when I knew for certain, _that_ was after we came back from Hell. For me, that month without you was far worse than anything we went through there."

"I'm sorry, Benny – I – I didn't –"

Benny stopped Ethan's stuttering remorse with a little squeeze of his hand. "No, Ethan, it was fine. Because – because I looked up that poem. I found out what it said about where we were."

Ethan started, but was also caught between two equal curiosities. "Hang on – firstly _you_ looked something up in a book? And, also –" (now Ethan's voice lost its cheerful mockery and dropped into hushed excitement) "- what did you find out? What was it?"

Benny raised his head off of Ethan's shoulder and looked solemnly at him, his eyes red and bloodshot. "This," he said, simply, leaning forwards (again) and kissing Ethan.

He settled his head back down, leaving Ethan staggered. Ethan opened and closed his mouth. "Really!" he breathed. "But – but –"

"It _was_ written at the start of the fourteenth century," said Benny, evenly.

"Still…" said Ethan, a little insulted by the implication of the ancient poem. His expression darkened a little. "Not much has changed, though."

"What do you mean?" asked Benny.

"I mean, what are we going to do now?"

"I thought we might hold hands for a bit, maybe have another kiss, hold hands a bit more –"

"I'm talking about what we're going to do about us being, you know, _us_."

"Why does it need thinking about?" asked Benny.

"Count the number of –" (Ethan rolled the word around in his mouth for a while before finding the courage to whisper it) "- _gay_ people in the school."

"Well, uh… There's, uh … uh…"

"You could do it on one hand. In fact, even if I cut off your hands, you could still count them."

"We could start a trend…?"

"That's not really us, is it, Benny?" said Ethan, sadly.

"I guess not," said Benny. He squeezed Ethan's hand reassuringly. "But I don't think anyone needs to know just yet. We'll keep it between ourselves. For now. Until we're ready."

Ethan nodded. "Our secret." He paused. "I didn't really want to tell anyone at the moment, anyway. And," (here he blushed) "I don't think that I'd want to tell anyone even if it wasn't you and me, but Sarah and me, or – or –"

"Any of those many other girls you've wanted to go out with?" said Benny, a light laugh in his voice.

"Mmm." Ethan sighed contentedly and rubbed his cheek on the top of Benny's head. "This is it, B. A new year, and a whole new chapter in our lives."

"A whole new story, even."

"If you like." Ethan wondered if now was the time to kiss Benny again, but, just as he was mustering the courage to do so, they were both startled by the front door opening behind them. Reluctantly, they unclasped their hands, which were, fortunately, hidden from view.

"Ahh. Aren't you two sweet, with Benny falling asleep on your shoulder just like he used to do when you were children," said Ethan's mother.

"Well, if you're tired, then we'd better be getting you home, young man," said Benny's grandmother, also leaving the house in a flurry of gloves and coats.

Benny sprang to his feet, torn between his desire to stay with Ethan, and the fact that he was really quite – quite tired. He yawned. "Bye, Ethan! See you tomorrow!" he said, following his grandmother down the steps, furtively glancing back with every other step.

Ethan smiled as he watched himwalk away. He'd be back. He got up, suddenly cold, missing the warmth of Benny at his side. His mother noticed.

"What are you doing outside without a coat? You'll catch your death!"

Sternly, she ushered Ethan inside. A dopey smile that he was not able to contain stretched itself across his face as he walked past her. And straight into the doorframe. He laughed to himself, and, a little unsteadily, made his way up to his room, dazed by his new emotions (and, less romantically, slightly concussed).

On the second attempt, he managed to sit down on his bed without dropping onto the floor. Still blissfully happy, he stared out of the window in the direction of Benny's house.

In the sky, he saw eight shooting stars blaze across the sky, before disappearing. His grin widened still further. Things couldn't get more perfect. It was as if they had been arranged for him. As he readied himself for bed, he reflected that, since his boyfriend was a magician, it probably had been. Settling his head on the pillow, Ethan resolved to ask him – in – in – in the –

* * *

Seven figures landed lightly on the sand – each of them pale, dressed in black – and then followed an eighth as he strode away from the lake to the road. He paused at the edge of the beach and looked along the road. A little way down, a gang of teenagers were hanging around a battered bench, the crushed remains of drinks cans scattered around them.

Considering for a moment, the short white haired man paused, polished his glasses on the end of his tie, resettled them on his nose, and then walked, a little less confidently, and with hunched shoulders, towards them.

"Excuse me?" he said, in a reedy voice.

Two of them ignored him, but the third swung up from where he was lounging. "Whassa'matter granddad?" he said, loudly, spraying spittle into the small man's face.

"I only wanted to know if this was Whitechapel."

"'Course it is." Turning to his mates, he snorted. "Old buffer probably escaped from his nursing home." He laughed raucously, but stopped short as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned back, for some reason a little unsettled.

He was reassured to find the old man still cowering in front of him. "So – this really is Whitechapel?" he said.

"Yeah." The boy raised his voice. "Something wrong with your hearing aid, gramps? This is Whitechapel_ - Canada."_

The crumpled man smiled, revealing a row of neat little pointed teeth. "Good."

His eyes flashed, and he leapt forwards. Screams filled the air – but they didn't last long.


	2. Fangs of New York - Part 2

**Things fall apart**

"So, have you heard about these murders, then?" asked Rory clumping some snow together.

Ethan frowned. "No. What about them?"

"Last night, there were these three teenagers who were found dead near the lake. Necks broken – it was really –" a smile started to spread across Rory's face, which was stopped abruptly as a snowball exploded over his nose.

Wiping the snow out of his eyes, he looked blearily over at Ethan, who had thrown it. "Was I getting a bit, uh…?"

"Macabre and creepy? Yeah," replied Ethan, "you could say that."

Rory looked down, embarrassed, as Ethan edged away a little. Sometimes he forgot that Rory wasn't quite the same as he used to be. Rory brightened. "Well, anyway, it should keep the news occupied for a while."

"It's just a normal murder case, right?" asked Ethan. "Not something that we should get involved in?"

Rory shrugged. "How should I know? Is there, like, a recommended body count needed before we get involved? I mean, it's normally you and Sarah that decided what we do. Benny and I just tag along."

"Yeah, but we tag along with _style_," said Benny, sauntering up. Or as close to a saunter as you can get in a puffy jacket. He grinned at them both, lingering a little on Ethan, which made him blush. Ethan covered his red face by bending down to scoop up some more snow, which he promptly lobbed at Benny.

Benny laughed and ducked, leaving the snowball to sail merrily on and strike Sarah square on the forehead. Rubbing the snow out of her hair, she smiled wickedly. "This is war, now. Benny, you're with me!"

Ethan had already started forwards to claim him, but, suppressing the pang of disappointment, he hurried over to where Rory was already throwing up a considerable wall of snow. For the next little while, all thoughts, whether of Benny, or of Rory's sketchily described murders were thrust out of Ethan's head, to be replaced by ones devoted to dodging and diving. The latter, Ethan concluded, was rather self-defeating, though, as he then ended up with snow all over him. It at least denied anyone the satisfaction of hitting him.

Laughing, the four of them messed around in the snow, Rory and Sarah becoming blurs that Benny and Ethan really had no chance of hitting, or really identifying.

"Ow!" cried Rory. "Ethan!"

"Sorry!" called he called back. "I thought you were Sarah… No! Rory, don't!"

A flurry of snowballs launched themselves in Ethan's direction, pummelling him to the ground. Ethan groaned, and got to his feet. "OK, we're even now."

A last one hit him in the face. "Maybe not…" muttered Ethan, gathering more snowballs, and chasing after his fast retreating friend. As they ran about, they got further and further from Ethan's house, roaming over the quiet snow covered streets and parks of Whitechapel.

* * *

The cold, but bright, New Year's Day saw few other people around, but light blazed in the windows of most houses, and everywhere was the feeling of good cheer and life. Those that the four did meet in their protracted snowball fight were always friendly and readily responded to their cheerful greetings. The four of them always courteously paused their battle and nodded politely to the pedestrians, who were usually fairly elderly. They rarely seemed to receive smiles in return, though, but the overall feeling was positive. Maybe they all just had bad teeth that they didn't want to show off. Certainly Ethan had heard odd reports about the new local dentist.

Eventually, Ethan jogged, panting, into a clearing. Taking a moment, to regain his breath, he looked about him. He was alone. The snow hung heavy on the trees, occasionally flopping to the ground, but generally everything was still and quiet. Ethan watched his breath mist in the crisp air. He puffed out a few breaths, amused by the thin clouds that he could create, manipulate, and then (most importantly) dispel with a quick wave of his hand. _Normal_ mist, he thought. That was a relief.

There was a sharp 'crack' of a twig behind him.

Startled, Ethan spun around. He could see nothing, except another little flurry of snow. A by now finely tuned sense of unease building a little inside him, he took a tentative step forwards, glancing nervously from side to side.

"Rory? Is that you?" he called.

No response. A little more worried, Ethan cast about for something that he could use to defend himself with. All he had was a snowball. He winced. That probably wasn't going to be much use.

"Sarah?" he asked, hopefully.

Still nothing. "Uh –" he started.

"Try _Benny_."

Ethan turned to see the boy standing on the other side of the clearing, hands behind his back. Ethan smiled with relief, and then, glancing around at the deserted woods, smiled a little wider and took a step towards him.

Benny produced a snowball from behind his back. Ethan stopped advancing and pouted.

"You wouldn't dare," he said, folding his arms

Benny grinned, raised his arm, and then, looking over at Ethan, let it drop again. He blushed, and then took a few tentative movements towards his friend. "No. You're right. I woul –"

_Splat!_

From side, a snowball had whizzed across, hitting Ethan on the cheek, just as he was springing towards Benny.

_Splat! Splat!_

Sarah emerged from the trees with a renewed volley. Ethan, already moving, was caught off balance. Just feet away from Benny, he toppled over sideways in the snow.

"OK, OK, I surrender!" he said, laughing, and then letting out a small groan of pain. It felt like he'd landed on some really big sticks buried under the snow.

Frowning, he groggily got to his feet and rubbed his arm where he had hit the hard object as he fell. Noticing, Sarah and Benny came over to him, Rory also emerging from the trees.

"What's wrong, Ethan?" asked Benny, unconsciously taking his arm in concern.

Ethan pulled it away in an absent manner. He looked thoughtful. "I don't know. I landed on something really _bumpy_."

Frowning, he bent over the area where he had fallen. Scrabbling around in the snow, he felt with his fingers until they came to something solid. But that felt odd for the branch of a tree, almost like a material – Ethan froze in horror as the realisation came to him.

"Help me dig!" he cried, desperately hoping that what he thought wasn't true.

Confused, the others obeyed, but, after only a minute or so of heaping snow, they understood.

Benny staggered back, covering his mouth. "That's not – not – not a –"

Shaking, Ethan backed away from the half-uncovered corpse, and nodded. Weakly, he turned to Sarah. "Call the police."

Then there was a soft thump as he fainted.


	3. Fangs of New York - Part 3

**The centre cannot hold**

"But, Benny, I'm so scared!" sniffed the smaller boy, hugging close into Benny's chest. He gave a little choked sob. "I mean, what could I do if he were to attack me? I – I –" He looked up at Benny with big, trusting eyes. "You'd protect me, wouldn't you?"

Benny sighed. "Yes, Rory, of course I'd protect you. That is, if the fact that you're a _vampire_ isn't protection enough. In fact, you're probably more dangerous than this murderer anyway."

Rory brightened at that. "I guess I am."

"Good." Benny pulled a face. "Now, could you get off me now? This is getting kind-of weird, and I don't want the policemen jumping to any strange conclusions when they arrive."

Rory leapt from Benny's side as if he'd been stung. "You don't mean – you – me – that would be – eusrgh!" He paused. "No offense. But –" He shivered. "Yuck."

"None, uh, taken, Rory," said Benny, shooting a concerned look towards Ethan, who was sitting with his back against a nearby tree, having recently come round. Ethan winced. That was not a very hopeful reaction – more reason to keep it secret, he thought.

Benny nodded, and then frowned. Had he heard – no, he couldn't possibly have done. He narrowed his eyes at Ethan, who just looked bewildered. He was about to ask him about it, when the air was split with the sound of sirens.

A moment later, a pair of policemen burst into the clearing.

"Was it you kids that found the body?"

Sarah nodded, and stood up. "Yes. It's over there." She pointed to the other side of the clearing, where the half-exposed body still lay. The younger policeman blanched as they approached it, but the older one, unperturbed, viewed the corpse sadly, before turning back to the four of them.

"Is this exactly how you found it?"

Ethan shook his head, and, getting unsteadily to his feet, took a few steps towards him.

"Are you all right, son?" asked the younger policeman, kindly.

Ethan just nodded, and then told them what happened. "I fell over in the snow, and I landing on something hard. I dug down to see what it was, and then the others helped me try to get him out of the snow. When we realised that he was dead, though, we left him as he was and called you."

"And nothing else happened after that? You didn't go near the body again?"

They shook their heads. The older man nodded, tight lipped. "You did the right thing. Now," he said, gruffly, "if you give Adam your names and addresses, you can go home, and we'll contact you if we need to."

The four of them obliged, and then departed, leaving the two policemen staring after them.

"Good kids," said Adam. "Do you think, though, that there's something going on between the blonde one and the –"

"I couldn't say," said the sergeant. "That would be _disgusting_," he growled, turning back towards the body.

"Oh." The younger man looked a little uncomfortable. "I thought that it was rather – never mind…" he muttered.

* * *

Shivering, Ethan strode down the street. "Is there something going on here?" he said, forcefully. "_Four_ murders in one night? That seems suspicious to me."

Sarah frowned. "Well, yeah, it does to me, too. Suspiciously like _serial killer_." She looked around, nervously. "I mean, I know that I'm _undead_ and everything, but that's still pretty scary…" She pulled the collar up on her jacket.

"Yeah, but, I mean, shouldn't we investigate?" pressed Ethan, his eyes bright with worry.

"Have we reached the body count limit yet?" asked Rory, dubiously.

The other three stared at him. "What limit?" asked Benny.

Rory shrugged. "I thought that after a certain number of deaths, we _had_ to investigate."

"No!" cried Ethan. "There don't even have to be any deaths! We investigate if there's something weird going on. This is weird."

"Yeah, but we hunt the supernatural, not criminals. This isn't _Scooby Doo,_" argued Benny.

"Yeah," said Rory, airily. "We haven't got a van."

Ethan looked at him sideways. "No…"

"And none of us can drive," continued Rory, brightly, warming to his theme. "I don't because I can fly, Ethan's parents won't let him because they don't think he's mature enough, Benny – well after that incident with your Grandma's car –"

"There's no need to go into _that_!" insisted Benny, going quite pink.

"- and, then there's Sara, who –"

"Uh, I _can _drive," said Sarah.

"Oh, yeah…" said Rory. "So it _can _be like _Scooby Doo_. All we need is a dog!" He looked at Benny pleadingly. "Can you resurrect another one? _Please?_"

"We're getting rather off topic here!" put in Ethan, hotly. "_I_ think that these murders are linked to the supernatural."

Seeing their doubtful expressions, he rounded on Rory. "What did they say about the others? Was there anything unusual about them?"

Rory looked down. "Well, uh, I wasn't really paying much attention…"

"Anything – anything at all?" asked Ethan, stopping in front of Rory in a sudden crunch of snow.

"All I remember was that it was thought that they all had their necks broken. In the pictures, they all seemed very pale, but, then, it was very cold last night."

Ethan, who had seemed interested at the paleness, nodded in reluctant agreement. "Maybe." He scowled. "I wish I'd taken a closer look at that body _we_ found." He growled in frustration. "It was right _there_, and I didn't do anything!"

"You did touch the body, though," pointed out Sarah. "Surely if something spooky was up, you'd have had a vision?"

Ethan looked thoughtful. "I'd have thought so… But, again, he was pretty frozen." With a sudden determination, he started to walk back the way they had come.

"Ethan?" called out Benny. "Where are you going?"

"To look at the body again – I'm sure that we can –"

There was a pressure on his arm, and he was yanked around. "Ethan!" said Sarah, sternly. "This is _way_ out of our depth. We don't want to get mixed up in this – and besides, they're never going to let you near the body. What were you going to say to them: 'Excuse me, officer, while I use my psychic powers'? They'd lock _you_ up."

Ethan hesitated. "But – but –"

"Look, Ethan, I know that you're scared, and so you're funnelling that into trying to find an explanation that you can deal with." Sarah patted his shoulder reassuringly. "But you'd be much better leaving his to the police."

Ethan resisted for a moment, and then gave in. He smiled, abashed. "You're right. I – It's pretty strange when what you can deal with is creating some kind of monster. We should leave it to the police."

Sarah nodded. "Yes. Good. Now, come on, Ethan – let's go home."

She pulled him gently, unresisting, down the lane to where Benny and Rory were anxiously waiting.

Re-joining his friends, Ethan nodded slowly. "I'm sure that the police are handling it just fine."

* * *

The two policemen stood over the body. "You know," said the younger man, turning to his grey haired sergeant, "it's a bit hard on you getting a murder on your very first day. And we so rarely have murders. Weird things happen, but they're rarely fatal."

The older man grunted in a non-committal fashion. "I guess I'm just lucky, then."

Covering his distaste, the young policeman bent over the corpse. "Poor guy…" he murmured. Then, something caught his eye.

"Sarge?" he called back. "Take a look at this weird mark on his neck –"

He was suddenly flung around by a grip on his shoulder, and found himself staring into the flashing eyes of his superior.

"Sarge…?" he breathed, terrified. The older man smiled. "No! – no! – n –" The man's last words merged into a scream, which was quickly snuffed out.

Taking a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiping his mouth, the older policeman wandered calmly off into the woods, the bloodless body of his former colleague cooling rapidly in the snow.


	4. Fangs of New York - Part 4

**Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world**

Ethan tossed and turned in his sheets all night. His dreams, some confused and fragmented, others frighteningly lucid, were filled with shadowy figures, knives, bodies made of snow, and, above all else, the staring lifeless face of the unknown corpse. After a long while looking at the dead face, Ethan saw it blink.

Ethan sat bolt upright in bed, shivering. He heard his breath rattle in his throat and felt his pyjama top sticking to his chest which was slick with cold sweat. He put a hand to his forehead. He was really warm. Feeling a little woozy, Ethan threw back the clammy sheets and padded slowly through to the bathroom. There, he poured himself a glass of water and drank it down, before leaning over the sink and holding his wrists under the cold tap in an effort to cool himself down. Slowly, he felt his temperature return to something more normal.

He bent a little lower and splashed water over his face. Were those visions, or just really vivid dreams? He didn't know. He groaned to himself. These psychic powers really weren't all that they were cracked up to be. His face wetted, he flicked his head up to look at himself in the mirror. He supposed that he looked a fright –

He gaped in shock, and did a double take. No, everything was normal again. He frowned. Just for an instant, it had seemed like he'd had no reflection…

He shook his head. He was just over-tired, and seeing things. It was just his eyes playing tricks on him. The shock of the day's events, coupled with those of the previous week, as well as his recent emotional strain – it was just all getting to him. He just needed to relax – let everything go. It wasn't his problem.

Ethan sighed and gazed at the reflection, taking in the taut, tired, worried expression, framed by messy, lank hair. He was really very pale tonight, too. In all honesty, he wasn't too bothered about seeing his reflection, if _that_ was what he got to see.

He shook himself and filled another glass of water. He really needed to go back to bed, and get some good sleep. There was no school tomorrow, so he could lie in a little. He yawned. Yes, going back to bed was a good idea. He felt a little better now, anyway.

Ethan turned, and went back to his room. As he entered, he saw something lying on the bed, which perplexed him. The shape seemed familiar, and, as he cautiously approached it, he realised what it was.

"_Benny?"_ he whispered, confused. He got no response, and headed over to the bed, where his friend was lying in an odd way. "What are you doing here? This is no time for games, Be –"

The glass tumbled from his hands and bounced across the carpet, spraying a red liquid across Ethan's feet. Benny's sightless eyes stared up into the darkness, his head at quite a different angle to his body. His mouth was half open, a trickle of blood in the corner. Ethan was horrified.

He had no time to fully react, though, before Benny's body slipped sideways. Underneath, lay Sarah, her head also at a weird angle. She, too, rolled away, revealing Rory, then Jane, then his parents, Mrs Weir, Rory's parents, Sarah's parents…

As each new body was revealed to him, Ethan grew more and more bewildered. Tears refused to spring into his eyes as a huge mass of grief rapidly built upon his shoulders – but it seemed detached from him. Ethan, thoroughly confused, tried vainly to think of some kind of explanation. Before he could even start to comprehend what was happening, the most startling body of all was revealed to him.

He found himself staring down at his own lifeless body, his own large brown eyes gazing up at him. Ethan frowned, completely freaked out, at his corpse. He numbed brain was sent reeling further, though, as he saw the two pricks of blood welling at the base of his neck. Was he – a – a - ? But – how?

Slowly, not in control of his movements, Ethan swivelled to face his bedroom mirror. The dark room and the bed piled with the bodies of the dead stared back at him. There was no-one else there.

Tentatively, Ethan put his hand towards his mouth, feeling, terrified, for his teeth –

"_Ethan!"_ cried a voice.

Ethan let out a muffled shriek of pain as, startled, he bit down on his fingers.

Blearily, he opened his eyes. A concerned Benny knelt by the edge of his bed. "W-why on earth are you here?" he said, frowning.

"Yes, good morning, and I love you, too," said Benny, with a slight smile.

Ethan ignored him, and, reaching out the hand that he hadn't bitten, felt Benny's face. Benny looked at him, bemused, with brows furrowed. "Uh, Ethan…?"

"You are _real_, aren't you?" managed Ethan, eventually, staring, unfocused, at his friend.

Benny tilted his head, unsure what to say. "I – I hope so!" He looked a little closer at Ethan. "Are you alright, Ethan?"

"Hmm?" Ethan blinked a few times. "Y-es. Yes. I'm fine."

Benny leaned in, worried, and put his hand on Ethan's chest. "You're soaking, Ethan! Are you sure that you're not sick?"

Ethan shook his head briskly and groggily sat up, his pyjamas clinging uncomfortably to him. "I really am OK, Benny. I just had a bad dream…" He frowned again, a distant expression coming over his face.

"A dream, or a vision?"

"I'm not really sure…" He looked across at Benny, a haunted look in his eyes. "I really hope not." Before Benny could ask him about it, he changed the subject. "But, again, why are _you_ here?"

"The Council want to see us."

Ethan looked thoughtful, and then a little anxious, and then, inexplicably, a little brighter. "Why?"

Benny winced, and rubbed the twinge in his upper arm. "They didn't say much."

"Anastasia's little helpers tend not to," agreed Ethan. Reluctantly, he swung his legs out of bed. "Right. I'm going to have a shower and get dressed, and then we'll go."

"I'll wait here."

Ethan smiled. "No, Benny, you'll wait downstairs."

Benny pouted. "But –"

Ethan held up a warning finger. "But nothing."

"Fine." Benny got up from the floor and headed towards the door. Once there, he paused, and looked back at Ethan. "Are you sure you're OK?"

Ethan nodded. "I'm _fine_, Benny. It's just these dreams. I don't need looking after. Really, I can deal with it. Actually," (he paused, his eyes glinting with excitement) "everything is making a lot more sense to me now."

"OK," said Benny, dubiously, "but – but what did you see?"

Ethan considered. "I'll tell you on the way." Then he grinned. "I know what we're going to do about it!"

With that, he bounded over to Benny, and, before he could respond, kissed him firmly, then opened the bedroom door and thrust him out onto the landing, before shutting the door again.

A little taken aback, Benny stared at the closed door for a little while, the words "About what?" dying on his silenced lips, before shrugging, and walking down the stairs.


	5. Fangs of New York - Part 5

**The blood-dimmed tide is loosed**

"… So it was like you _were_ the vampire?" asked Benny, as they turned into the street that the Council building was on.

Ethan nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly." He beamed.

Unnerved, Benny tried to understand. "And you saw all our bodies. Including your own."

Ethan nodded again. "Yep. One piled on top of the other. All killed in the same way."

"Bitten?"

Ethan frowned. "I only noticed that _I_ was. I didn't really register any of the others. It all happened too fast for me to take it in."

"And you're _sure_ that you were a vampire in this dream?"

"Yeah – well, at least, after I left the bathroom, I didn't have a reflection. I was going to check my teeth, but then you woke me up, and I bit my hand instead."

Benny looked down at Ethan's hand. It was still indented in the shape of his jaw. He winced. "Sorry about that."

Ethan shrugged. "It woke me up. Brought me to my senses. Showed me what it was I was seeing."

"Which was … _what_, exactly?" asked Benny. "I still don't get why you're so pleased about this frankly pretty horrific and disturbing dream."

"The policeman is a vampire," said Ethan, cheerfully.

"How do you work that one out? And why does that make you _happy_?"

"I saw all the people that live in your house, Sarah's house, Rory's house and mine – dead. But nobody else. We all gave our addresses to the policeman. These are all the people most likely to die. Because we saw the body – which was also killed by the vampire, by the way."

Benny looked sceptical. "That's a bit ropey, isn't it? Are you sure these aren't just the people that you're most frightened of dying – from the _murderer_?"

"No!" insisted Ethan. "It makes sense!"

Benny gave a non-committal grunt and wrinkled his nose. "I think you're just over interpreting this dream because you're trying to compensate for your dismal failure to read anything into your last vision."

"I am not trying to compensate for anything!" replied Ethan, hotly.

"Fine, fine, if you say so…" said Benny holding up his hands in surrender. "So what if we say it was a vision, and there is a vampire out to get us. _Why_ does that cheer you up?"

"It's a vampire. We know what to do with vampires. I can deal with it being a vampire – had it been a random lunatic, then it would be scary, but I understand vampires – or, at least, how to get rid of them." Ethan looked over at Benny earnestly.

"You're very weird, E, you know that, right?"

Ethan tipped his head equably from side to side. "I guess…"

Benny rolled his eyes. "People think _I'm_ the odd one, but you – _you_ are properly loony. A vampire that wants to kill us is preferable to a normal murderer, who isn't really bothered…" He shook his head and stared at Ethan like he was going to explode at any moment, or whatever it was that crazy people were liable to do.

"Just out of interest, playing along with your insane theory, which one is the vampire?"

"Adam, of course," said Ethan, leading them through the gate and up the steps of the Council building. "He took our addresses, plus he's young and good-looking. Classic vampire. He's definitely our man."

He pushed open the door and they walked through the dusty building to the Council chamber. Slowly, the door creaked open, revealing the massed ranks of Whitechapel's vampires. In the middle of the room lay the body of the young policeman, drained of blood.

"I think your theory needs a little work, E."

* * *

Ethan and Benny stood in front of Anastasia, who was, as usual, flanked by two much larger and more menacing vampires. It was the girl that the two boys were scared of, though. To the side, Sarah, Rory and Erica stood in their allotted places, nervously (or, in Erica's case, vaguely indifferently) watching the fate of their friends.

To everyone's surprise, it was Anastasia that looked rather awkward. "We, er, have a problem…" she said, eventually.

"A rogue vampire?" asked Ethan.

She looked up at him in surprise. "How did you know?" She narrowed her eyes. "Do you have information on this -?" Her eyes flashed with suspicion, and Ethan hurriedly tried to calm the situation.

"I – I had a dream last night. Well, I think it was more of some kind of vision, but it was very different to normal. But – I was right to interpret it as a vampire problem?"

Anastasia nodded.

Ethan took a sidelong glance at Benny. "I knew I was right!"

"Well," qualified Benny, "you weren't _quite_ correct about everything, were you?" indicating the body still lying behind them. Ethan frowned, and then looked back at Anastasia.

"So what do you know about it? Have you lost control of –"

The girl's face twisted into a snarl, and the candles lighting the room guttered. Ethan and Benny shivered in the sudden chill. "No. This is not the work of any of _my_ vampires."

She looked long and hard at the two of them, before continuing. "I have reason to believe that the recent spate of deaths is the work of a group of vampires from outside of Whitechapel."

Benny frowned. "But hunting outside of your area without permission is, like, breaking rule one of being a vampire." He paled. "Also, a _group_?"

Anastasia nodded. "As you can see, these vampires pay little attention to the niceties of vampire law – also, they advertise their actions flamboyantly; killing their victims and leaving them to be found. They intend to inspire fear into the human population – but this has led them into trouble. A frightened town is an unstable one, liable at any time to become dangerous. Hard as it is to believe, we _need_ humans – we don't want them frightened, which is why we rarely kill."

"Kind of you…" muttered Benny.

"Exceptions can be made," retorted Anastasia. Benny quailed. "Anyway, these vampires have sown destruction across a number of towns, causing chaos and moving on before the crazed humans can act against them. Clearly they have grown bored of their old hunting grounds, and have crossed the lake to feed in ours. We do not want them to destroy Whitechapel in the same way that they have ravaged their own country."

"So, why do you want us?" asked Ethan.

"We need you to kill them."

Ethan and Benny blanched. "But – but why us? Can't you deal with them?"

Here, Anastasia bent her head, as if ashamed. "Vampires, once fledged, cannot kill other vampires without destroying themselves."

"Really?" said Benny, astounded. "But I'm sure that Sarah –"

"Not since she became a full vampire," said Anastasia.

"I'm in the room…" murmured Sarah, a little offended. She was ignored.

"But why do we have to kill these dangerous vampires?" asked Ethan, in a last, desperate hope. "Couldn't we just … ask them nicely?"

"They have already killed twelve people ("Definitely reached the body count" muttered Rory) "and have now started sending us trophies." Again, she nodded at the body.

Ethan and Benny looked sideways at it, and trembled faintly.

"OK…" said Benny. "Can you help us at all? Could we at least know how many there are?"

Anastasia shrugged. "Reports vary between two and twenty. We just don't know."

Benny tottered a little on hearing "twenty", and clutched at Ethan's arm. "Uh – surely there are professionals that you can get for this?" he said.

"You two are the best we can get," she said, simply. "Or, rather, the cheapest." She looked sheepish, which hardened into defensive anger as she caught their disbelieving expressions. "What? It costs a lot to run a place this big. The bill for candles alone…"

Ethan opened his mouth to say something, but Anastasia intervened.

"You two have to stop them, or everything in Whitechapel will be destroyed. And they will start with you, for the vampires know who you are, and where you live. So, _go_."

The double doors to the Council chamber swung open with a thump. Taking the hint, Ethan and Benny walked obediently towards it, aware of that the eyes of all the vampires in Whitechapel were focused on the back of their necks. As they reached the other side of the doors, Anastasia called out to them, making them turn back.

"Ethan. Benny." For once the haughty girl looked genuinely frightened. "Good luck."

The doors slammed shut in front of them.


	6. Fangs of New York - Part 6

**The ceremony of innocence is drowned**

"So what do we do now?" asked Benny, as the two of the slouched dejectedly back towards Ethan's house.

"We get weapons and go and hunt these vampires," replied Ethan, with a confidence that he didn't really feel. His earlier enthusiasm for an encounter with vampires had, in reality, been dependent on Sarah doing most of the actual fighting. Now it seemed like they were on their own, and he didn't rate his and Benny's chances.

"How do we know what we're looking for?" asked Benny. "They could be anyone."

They looked at each other, and then at the other people in the street. Ethan gulped. "Well, uh, think logically about this. They're new, so it won't be anyone that we recognise."

"Oh, well, lucky that we know everyone in Whitechapel, then!"

Ethan shrugged. "It was only a suggestion!" He looked thoughtful. "I think we need to talk to your grandma. She might know a way of detecting a vampire. Also – three fighters are better than two."

"Grandma? I mean, she's pretty good with magic, but – she is rather old to be fighting vampires. It's not really something that people of her age can really do."

"I think she'll be just fine, Benny," said Ethan, smiling at his friend's doubt. Then he stopped suddenly, and frowned. Benny walked on for a few paces before noticing that his friend was no longer by his side, and then turned back in consternation.

"Ethan? Something the matter?"

Ethan stood, pondering, in silence for a while, before his expression gradually cleared and he looked up with renewed energy at Benny, who had retraced his steps. He grinned. "I think I've got it!"

Benny narrowed his eyes. "Got what?"

"I know what we're looking for."

"Like you did last time," said Benny, a warning note in his voice.

Ethan ignored the slight. "Old people!"

"What about them? They exist, and that's hardly a revelation."

Ethan shook his head irritably. "No, no, that's not my point at all! The vampires are _old_."

"Lots of them are," said Benny, not really seeing where Ethan was going with this. "It doesn't really help us much…"

"Benny, are you being deliberately obtuse? The vampires are all _old people_. Not just from a long time ago, but in the bodies of the elderly."

Benny frowned. "But all the vampires we've ever met have been young. It tastes better, or something."

Ethan wrinkled his nose at Benny. "How would you know that? That's disgusting!"

Benny blushed. "Well, uh, before I, uh, focused entirely on you, uh, remember that I used to hang on Erica's every word? She makes comments like that all the time."

Ethan hesitated, and then nodded. "Yeah. Now you mention it, I do remember her saying something like that. But that's exactly why these vampires are so hard to pin down. Nobody expects old vampires. Not anymore."

Benny looked thoughtful. "Now I kind of see it… So it was still _a_ policeman that was a vampire – it was just not the one you thought it was."

"Exactly. And – remember how most of the people we saw yesterday were elderly? Any one of them could have killed the man we found."

Benny nodded. "But it still doesn't help us much. There are loads of old people around."

"Not at night, though," pointed out Ethan.

"So what do you suggest we do until then?"

"We get ready. We speak to your grandma, just in case she does know a way of identifying vampires, and also ways to kill them."

Benny looked apprehensive, but agreed. "OK…" he said, as they walked on and towards his house.

* * *

"You know," panted Ethan, "for – people that – live – in Whitechapel, which is – full – of vampires, we do – remarkably little – _slaying_." He grunted out the last word, twisting around to press the stake he was holding firmly into the straw bag hanging from the ceiling.

"Well, our vampires are pretty cute and cuddly, really. And, really, is_ that_ what we're calling it? _Slaying_?" said Benny, raising his eyebrows.

Ethan shrugged. "Why not?"

"Bit _stylised_."

"Well, yeah, but what we're doing _is_ pretty archaic."

"Mmm. Maybe," said Benny distractedly, reading from his spell book. He muttered something. Ethan exclaimed in surprise as blue bands appeared around his waist, arms, and legs, pressing him against the wall. He struggled vainly, but couldn't free himself.

"Benny!"

"No, hang on, this is just a test. Try to wriggle free."

Ethan squirmed and twisted, both pushing and pulling at the bonds. Eventually, he gave up, shaking his head. "Nope. Stuck."

Benny nodded and murmured a counter spell. The bands disappeared, and Ethan stepped forwards, rubbing his wrists. Benny smiled. "So that spell works properly."

"Well," said Ethan, warningly, "it works on _humans_."

Benny nodded. "Might slow them down a bit." He closed the book and looked at the clock hanging on the wall of the shed. "Not long now until sunset."

He pulled the stake out of the straw dummy and carefully lined it up in height order with the others that they had prepared. He stared down at them for a while, before turning back to Ethan, his expression mournful.

"Look, E, we're probably not going to survive this, and –"

Without saying anything, Ethan interlinked his fingers with Benny's, and then leaned in to kiss him –

They were interrupted by a sharp set of raps at the rickety wooden door. Ethan stopped leaning forward and the two of them span apart busying themselves on opposite sides of the shed.

"Who is it?" called out Benny.

The door opened slowly, and Sarah's head appeared in the gap. "It's only us. Your grandma said hat you two were here."

Ethan raised an eyebrow in surprise. "But I thought that you couldn't help?"

Sarah shook her head. "We can't _kill_ other vampires, but we can help you two to do it. And, besides, like the pair of you would last five minutes on your own!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sarah," said Benny, holding the door open. Behind Sarah came Rory and Erica, carrying something big and heavy between them.

Ethan frowned. "What's that –" he started, until, when the two vampires dumped the large stone object in the middle of the floor, he understood. "You stole a _font_?"

Erica shrugged. "No-one else was using it, and I think you nerds need as much help as you can get." She held up a hand before either of the boys could respond. "I want to make it quite clear that I'm here because I want to continue snacking on the people of Whitechapel – I don't care whether either of you survive."

Benny pouted. "Come on, Erica, you know that's not true…" he wheedled.

"You're right," she said, with a sneer. "I _really_ don't care whether either of you survive."

Rory, oblivious to the coldness of Erica's expression, broke across, enthusiastic. "Have you got any water pistols, Benny?"

Benny grinned, and went over to a dusty shelf and, after a little rummaging, pulled out a pair. Rory held out his hands for one, but Benny shook his head.

"I'm not sure that you should fill it up, Rory. You don't want to get splashed."

Rory paused, considered, and then nodded as he watched Benny plunge his hand into the font as he filled up the reservoirs. Carefully drying his hands on his jumper, Benny handed one to Rory, keeping hold of the other one.

"Harass them from a distance – but don't waste water!"

Rory nodded and started to pump up his weapon. Ethan and Sarah, meanwhile, had been threading stakes and crosses through a pair of belts, which Ethan and Benny then put on."

"You two are just going to have to rely on your natural strength," said Ethan, apologetically.

"My favourite," grinned Erica. "Not," she corrected hastily, "that I'm looking forward to this. In any way."

Sarah smiled. "Of course not!" She ignored the look that her friend gave her, and headed to the door.

She peered out. At this time of year, Whitechapel was prone to very sudden nights, and, as the last rays of the sun winked away over the hill, the darkness pervaded everywhere almost immediately. Looking around, she noticed that there wasn't even much of a moon to give them a little light.

Sarah turned to Ethan, and jumped, for he had been right at her shoulder. "Ready?" he said, calmly. Benny, who was secretly holding Ethan's shaking hand steady, knew different, but even he was reassured by Ethan's confident air.

"Let's get going!" Sarah declared, throwing open the door.


	7. Fangs of New York - Part 7

**Surely some revelation is at hand**

"Seen any vampires yet?" said Ethan, quietly.

"Yes," whispered Rory in reply. Ethan and Benny looked at him, worried. "Oh, uh, no. Just Sarah, me, and Erica."

Ethan rolled his eyes and looked back towards the road. He was rather startled to see a little old lady standing in the middle of it. She was watching the three of them (Sarah and Erica having peeled off to advance unobserved), and she was smiling benevolently at them.

"Good evening, dearies," she said, brightly, "I seem to have lost my way…"

Rory started forward to help her.

"No!" hissed Benny, urgently. "Squirt her!"

Rory looked back at them, confused. "What?"

Ethan and Benny then looked past him, paling rapidly. "Uh, Rory – _now!_"

Frowning, he turned around. "Aaah!" he yelped, seeing the woman now towering above him, fangs extended and arms reaching out to grab him. He squeezed the trigger of his water pistol, sending a little shower of holy water shooting into her face.

The old vampire shrieked in pain, and took a blind swipe at Rory, who ducked out of the way. Ethan ran forwards just as the old lady lunged for Rory. In the moment of her striking Rory, she disappeared into a swirl of coloured ash. Wincing, Ethan got up from where he had been braced on one knee, stake still held above his head.

He dusted his jacket down. "Well, that wasn't so tricky!" he exclaimed, pleased with his victory.

"Slightly quicker next time?" muttered Rory, picking himself up from the road.

"You'd have been fine!" said Benny. "You're a vampire already."

"Yeah, but…" Rory rubbed the back of his head, looking sheepish, "… I still get scared."

Erica, peeling away from the trees that she and Sarah had been watching from, smirked at him. "Good work, nerds," she said, grudgingly.

"Now all we need to find out is how many more there are that we have to deal with," said Ethan, somewhat buoyed by his success.

"Er, guys?" said Sarah, staring behind them. "I think we might have found out…"

The others turned. Seven, admittedly elderly looking, vampires stood in a loose formation, eyes gleaming in the darkness, and fangs fully extended. At the head of the group stood a dumpy little man in a tweed suit and tie. He was polishing his glasses absently. Behind him stood the older policeman, and then five other men and women, all of whom Sarah, Rory, Ethan and Benny recognised as the old people that they had met the day before. They no longer seemed quite so friendly.

The man finished cleaning his glasses, an replaced them on his nose. He observed the five coolly.

"Get rid of them."

Slowly (arthritically), the six advanced on them.

"There's no way we can take on all of them at once," hissed Benny.

"We'll have to try to separate them," said Ethan. "But they're too close to us…"

"Run?" Rory suggested.

The five of them fled down the street, hoping that the increased distance between them and the old vampires would give them time to plan.

Left behind in the street, the elderly six looked back at the man with the glasses. He shrugged. "If that's how they want to play it."

Smiling wickedly, the vampires flashed down the street, just as fast as any other vampire.

* * *

Needing to catch their breath, Benny and Ethan came to a halt, glancing, panicked, back down the street. Their friends slowed to a stop beside them.

"Nothing coming," wheezed Benny, wiping his forehead. "What are we going to do?"

"Well," said Ethan, "I think if you go with Sarah, and I go with Erica and Rory, that should split them up. We'll only have to deal with about three of them at once. That evens up the odds a bit, right?"

"Indeed," said a new voice. "Such an admirable plan."

They turned, and, for the third time that night, saw a vampire calmly staring at the from behind. From the trees on either side came four more, and the circle was completed by the policeman and the man with glasses, who walked carelessly down the road that the group had just run down.

"We _did_ give you a little head start," said the woman who had interrupted them. "We were going to count to ten and everything." "But, you know," she tilted her head to one side, and continued in a sing-song voice, "we got_ bored_."

The six closed in on them, the little man continuing to keep his distance.

"Now!" shouted Ethan, desperately hoping that they would know what he intended them to do.

Benny and Rory instantly sprang forwards, firing their water pistols in opposite directions, each one managing to keep two vampires at bay. One kept advancing on each side, though. Erica flashed over to grapple with the woman, while Sarah went for the policeman, Ethan close beside her.

There was a blurred tussle between Sarah and her opponent, Ethan inching forwards to try and get a good angle to stab. Eventually, the policeman managed to fling Sarah off him in disgust. He turned and jeered down at her prone body. "Call yourself a vampire? You're –"

He crumbled to dust in midsentence, Ethan, coming through his disintegrating body. "Still alive?" he supplied, a small smile on his lips. Before Sarah could even pick herself up, though, he had dashed over to help Erica. She couldn't help thinking how worryingly good at this Ethan seemed. Quickly, she went over to Benny and took the water pistol from him.

"Go," she said, "only you can Ethan can actually kill them."

Benny nodded. "Be careful, there's not a lot left. Focus on the one on the left."

Sarah did, firing straight into the face of the bald man who was clawing his way closer. He screamed in pain, trying to cover up any exposed skin, but he was still scalded. Benny crouched beneath the stream of water, and then thrust upwards, destroying him. The water splashed harmlessly onto the back of his hand as it moved through the now empty air. The remaining vampire glared at him, and, snarling, swept towards him.

"Sarah!" called out a worried Benny, backing up hurriedly.

"Uh, I'm kind of out of holiness…"

On the other side, Ethan was trying to repeat his earlier victory, but Rory's inconsistent was making it much more difficult. He kept accidentally splashing Erica, causing her to yelp angrily (and, of course, regressing any advance he had made in her affections).

"Ow!"

"Sorry…"

With a growl, Erica finally threw the vampire woman to the ground, landing roughly on top of her. The woman scratched and kicked, but Erica was unmoved.

"Do it, geek boy."

With a decisive stroke, Ethan stabbed his stake into the woman's chest, and she disintegrated, letting Erica drop the short distance to the ground. She stood up, and was about to turn away to continue the fight, when she noticed that Ethan was staring at his stake, which had cracked in half on the concrete.

"Broken," he said.

Erica grinned. "No, you've just got two!"

Ethan laughed, and turned back to the others. Three down, four – or three, as the leader still seemed remarkably unconcerned. He frowned. Benny and Sarah seemed to be in trouble, but –

He was grabbed from behind, both pieces of his stake tumbling from his hand. He struggled in the vice-like grip, but he couldn't free himself.

"Goodbye, little Seer…" he heard a voice whisper. He felt something brush his neck, and he closed his eyes, awaiting the –

There was a scream, and Ethan was pitched forwards. "You don't touch my friend!" snarled Rory, spraying his water pistol into the open mouth of the vampire. He snatched up one of the pieces of the stake, and, as the vampire sank to its knees in agony, he swung back his arm to stab him with it.

"No!" cried Erica, grabbing Rory's arm, sending him tumbling backwards. Gathering his wits, Ethan picked up the other half and flung himself at the vampire, swiftly dispatching it. It moans still filled the air even as the dust was settling on the road.

Panting, Ethan smiled weakly at a dishevelled Rory, who, in turn, looked gratefully towards Erica, but she was already gone, locked in combat with the last remaining female vampire. Glancing across at Sarah and Benny (who had his eyes closed), Ethan threw himself back into the fray.

Sarah desperately pumping up the water pistol beside him, then giving up and just jabbing it at the irate, scalded vampire, Benny concentrated on the words of his spell, blocking everything else out. He finished murmuring it, and opened his eyes. He started back in shock as the face of the vampire was only inches from his own, Sarah unconscious at his side. The same blue nimbus that had bound Ethan, though, now surrounded the livid vampire, rooting him in position. With a flick of his wrist, Benny sent the stake spinning into the heart of his attacker, who, though turned to dust, was kept in his shape by the effect of the spell.

Meanwhile, Erica, Rory, and Ethan were proving more than a match for the last vampire of the six. Rory and Erica had her arms, and she could only spit and glare as Ethan coolly staked her, brushing her remains from his hand. He turned back to where Benny was keeling by an unconscious Sarah, and a ghostly figure of a vampire stood, unmoving.

Muttering the ending words, Benny leaned over Sarah, the dust cascading to the ground around them. Blearily, she opened her eyes and looked dazedly up at him. "Are you OK?" he asked.

She nodded. "Did we – have we won?"

He looked about at a triumphant Ethan, Rory and Erica, each of them covered in a faint coating of shimmering dust. "I think –"

"- Not," came a new voice. "You think _not_."

The five of them turned to look at him. He was still standing a little way off, exactly as he had done during the entire fight. It _had_ been a little too easy, Ethan thought, but this could just be bluster… He raised the two halves of his stake.

The little man snorted, and waved a hand. The parts of the stake splintered in Ethan's hand, the tiny fragments dropping to the ground. Ethan gulped.

"You can't win," the man said.

"Try me!" said Ethan, defiantly.

"Oh, don't worry, Ethan – I will. But another time, perhaps." The man smiled. "I think your Council has learned their lesson."

Erica frowned. "About what?"

"About what it truly means to be a vampire. It's violent and messy, and there's a lot less ritual. Pass my compliments along to the little girl, will you? But I will go, seeing as you young people asked _so_ nicely."

With that, he turned away. Benny, spurred on by something, ran at him, stake raised. The man made a tiny movement, and the stake simply evaporated.

He looked back with a thin smile. "Until the next time."

And with that, he was gone. The five of them looked at each other, perplexed.

"That was – _odd_," said Sarah.

Benny nodded, slowly. "He could have flattened us all, right then and there. But he went away." He shrugged. "Maybe he's just crazy."

"I think we can take that as a given.," said Erica, drily.

Ethan frowned. "Yeah…" He looked up. "Who do you think he was?"

Rory shrugged. "We'd better find out, though. For the next time. There will be a next time, right?"

They nodded. They all knew how the game worked pretty well by now.

"I'll, uh, tell the Council that the problem's been dealt with," said Sarah.

Erica nodded. "I'll come with you." They flashed off.

Rory grinned apologetically. "I should probably –" And he was gone, too.

Ethan looked down at the little piles of dust. Then he looked up at Benny, his face drawn. "This should feel better than it does, Benny. We've got rid of seven dangerous vampires. But, still…"

"He got away?" Benny nodded. "I know. We haven't finished."

Ethan stared straight ahead for a long while, lost in thought. He paled. "Yeah…" he said, very slowly.

Then his head snapped up, and, with renewed energy, he looped his arm through Benny's. "But that's for another time."

Benny patted his arm. "Yeah, I guess so. Where shall we go, then? Home?"

Ethan frowned, still thinking about something. "No," he said, quietly, "not yet."

Forcing away all his curiosity and concern, Benny shrugged amicably, and walked aimlessly with Ethan into the quiet night.


	8. Episode 2 - Open Wide

**Episode two! As ever, reviews warmly accepted.**

* * *

Open Wide

* * *

**I wandered lonely as a cloud**

Rory tapped the rubber end of his pencil absently on the desk in front of him, and stared vacantly into space. It was their teacher's favourite kind of lesson – make each of them give a presentation to the class so that they could demonstrate their 'individual learning skills'. So far, all Rory had learnt was that most people in their class were really very boring.

Take, for example, Hannah. Poor, over-enthusiastic Hannah, who kept her coloured pencils in the order of the visible spectrum. Actually – Rory here paused and corrected himself – he quite liked that, and it actually fascinated Ethan. Well – here he corrected himself again – Ethan was _obsessed_ by it, and Rory could tell that he was itching to change the order in order to more accurately reflect their position on the EM spectrum, but –

Rory broke off that thought. He was getting off topic. Hannah, to give an example, was currently giving a presentation on, on… Rory frowned. She'd been wittering on for so long that he didn't remember. But, whatever it was, with its pie charts, diagrams, and maps, it was dull. Deathly dull. And Rory knew a bit about death. He sighed inwardly. Mr Hilt may have been an evil shape-changing mist creature, but he had at least been a good teacher.

The buzz in Rory's ear stopped. Startled out of his musings by the sudden silence, he looked up to see what was happening. Hannah had stopped talking. Their teacher stood up.

"Thank you, Hannah, for that informative speech on, uh…"

"Maps, diagrams and the development of the pie chart!" said Hannah, smiling brightly. (Rory rolled his eyes.) Cheerfully, she gathered up her things and returned to her seat.

As the teacher deliberated over the next person to speak, Rory glanced across at Ethan, taking in the empty seat between them. Where was Benny? This would be so much more fun if he was here. And he had something to show him. Ethan would know. He always knew where Benny was.

Rory leaned towards Ethan in order to ask him, but noticed that Ethan had suddenly ducked his head, as if trying not to be noticed. Rory looked up.

Ah. The teacher seemed to be coming this way. If there was one thing that Ethan hated, it was giving presentations. Monsters were fine, vampires he could deal with – but speeches? Ethan very quickly became a gibbering wreck. Yes, it was quite funny to see him stumble listlessly over his topic, but it was also painfully embarrassing and quite upsetting to see Ethan quite so incompetent. The general consensus between the teachers now was not to get Ethan to do it. He normally submitted a written report instead, or, if they were feeling particularly generous, they let Benny speak for him. This teacher, though, was new, and therefore had no idea about the humiliation he was about to inflict on poor Ethan.

The young man walked over to Ethan's desk. "I think it might be your turn now, Mr –" Ethan shook slightly, almost imperceptibly had Rory not been watching him closely, but then the teacher, frowning slightly, turned abruptly towards "– Keaner. What are you going to tell us about?"

Surprised, Rory got up from his seat quickly and headed to the front of the classroom. A relieved, but puzzled Ethan stared blankly at him.

"Uh, well, today I'm going to tell you all about the Spanish Inquisition…"

* * *

"Thank you, Rory…" said the teacher, a little pale, as Rory flicked past his last slide and concluded his presentation. Rory looked out at the stunned class, most of whom looked more than a bit queasy.

A particularly green-looking boy in the second row put up his hand. "Sir, can I –"

The teacher nodded hurriedly, and the boy dashed from the room. Just then, the bell rang. "Class dismissed!" he called out, clearly relieved. There was a general rush for the door.

"Er, good work, Rory," said the teacher, regarding him with a wary expression, before edging out of the room.

Shrugging, Rory gathered up his materials and headed for his desk, where Ethan was still waiting for him. He cheerfully packed away his things. "Well, I think that went well!" he said.

Ethan, who despite everything he had seen was slightly disturbed by Rory's lecture, nodded cautiously. "Yes… It certainly wasn't boring!" He laughed nervously, careful to keep a desk between himself and Rory.

Rory smiled, oblivious. "I thought so."

"Did you have to have _quite_ so many illustrations, though?" asked Ethan.

Rory looked up, concerned. "Did you think it was too much?"

Ethan began to nod, and then considered what he had just learned about Rory's interests. "No, actually, I think it was just fine!" he said, his voice rising in pitch.

Ethan slung his bag over his shoulder. It was blue, with white flashes. But why did he care about that? Rory shook himself. He was losing focus. Again. He followed Ethan out of the room, carrying his own backpack very carefully. In doing that, he remembered what he had wanted to ask Ethan.

"Where's Benny?" he said, as they stepped into the busy corridor.

"Oh, uh, the dentist," replied Ethan. Rory knew that he would know. "Apparently he's done something to his teeth. He said it when – uh –" Ethan paused, and seemed to reconsider what he was saying "- he, uh, said when you use magic, it does funny things to your teeth sometimes. Makes them sensitive. It's probably just too much sugar, though." Ethan shrugged. "Whatever it is, it gives him a really sore mouth." He coloured a little, inexplicably (to Rory, at least). "Or – uh – or so I've heard him say," he finished hurriedly.

"Do you know when he'll be back?" asked Rory.

"Not until after school, I think. Why?"

"I want to talk to him about something," Rory said, attempting to be casual.

"What?" asked Ethan, who had noticed.

"Oh, uh, nothing – it's not important, or interesting, or…" replied Rory in a rush. If he could have flushed, he would have done, so he hid his embarrassment by going to open his locker.

"No, no," said Ethan, smiling and putting his hand on the door to keep it shut. "You're not leaving it there. I'm interested now. What are you going to ask Benny that you can't ask me?"

Rory looked down, embarrassed for his friend. He didn't really want to bring this up again.

"It's – it's about Erica. I want to ask him whether I'm going about this the right way."

"And why can't you ask me?" said Ethan, surprised.

"Well – don't take this the wrong way, but – Benny knows about girls and how to impress them."

Ethan opened and closed his mouth, agitated. "But he's –" He stopped himself.

Rory watched, perplexed, as a strange expression filtered across Ethan's face before he continued speaking.

"- He's had no more success than me."

Rory patted Ethan kindly on the shoulder. "He has, at least, never turned a date down. Plus, he's been interested in loads of girls, while you just obsessed over Sarah, until you went and…"

Ethan gaped. "_That's_ why? _Still!_" He scowled. "That was nearly two months ago!"

Rory shrugged. "Yeah … but it was memorable!"

Ethan spun away from the lockers, clenching his jaw in irritation. "Fine," he said, eventually.

He turned back, calmer. "Coming to lunch, then?"

Rory hesitated. "I'll be there in a minute. There's something I've just got to sort out, and then I'll be right with you."

Ethan nodded, and wandered off towards the canteen.

* * *

Rory watched until Ethan had turned the corner, before furtively opening his locker.

"Hello!" he whispered, beaming at the little plant that stood on the shelf. It was a livid green, with an oval head of hard leaves that looked almost like a mouth, complete with a red vein around where its lips might be. Even its leaves had little spines that could be considered teeth.

Rummaging in his bag, Rory brought out a small vial of a deep red liquid. He looked around at the deserted hallway, then shook it, flicked it with a finger, and then poured it all into the pot.

Almost instantly, the plant seemed to straighten a little. Rory smiled at it hopefully.

"Will you grow for me, little guy?" he said, earnestly. Grinning at it, he closed the locker door, and scampered after his friend.


	9. Open Wide - Part 2

**When all at once I saw a crowd, a host, of golden daffodils**

Ethan and Rory sat on the edge of Ethan's bed, staring silently out of the window.

"I'm sure he'll be here any minute," said Ethan, for the sixth or seventh time.

Rory nodded. "Mmm."

They lapsed into silence.

"So…" started Ethan.

"Hmm?"

Ethan shook his head, distractedly, and then, after some stuttering, decided to continue, out of the sheer awkwardness of it, if anything.

"The Spanish Inquisition? Really?"

Rory nodded absently. "It was something to do." He looked at Ethan and smiled faintly. "It's not like I tried it out on anyone."

"Good," said Ethan, relieved.

"No, I just bite people and move on."

Ethan grimaced. "Thanks for that insight, Rory…"

Silence fell again, broken only by the ticking of the clock on the wall. Then the doorbell rang.

Ethan was on his feet like the bed had just exploded, and was almost out of the door before Rory had even registered the sound. He flashed after him.

Ethan stopped suddenly at the door. Rory frowned at him. "Are you OK, Ethan? You've been really jumpy all day."

Ethan didn't reply, instead opening the door.

"Benny!" he said, beaming.

A stiff-faced Benny looked back. "He'o Efan. Wowy."

Ethan frowned. "Pardon?"

"He'o Efan. An' he'o Wowy."

Ethan snorted. "Yes, I thought that's what you said. I just wanted to get you to say it again." With a sly smile, he gestured for Benny to come in. Benny scowled.

"Not a good time at the dentist, then?" said Ethan, lightly.

"-'o."

Ethan frowned. "What was that?"

Benny rolled his eyes, and went to try again, before thinking the better of it, and just shaking his head wearily. He opened his mouth gingerly, showing them the cotton wool stuffed into his cheeks.

"Come along, then," said Ethan, kindly, "and you can tell us all about it."

Benny rolled his eyes at Ethan's patronising tone. "I'm 'ot a' infali'" he protested as they went up the stairs.

Ethan laughed. "I don't think many people are 'infali's, Benny."

"Infali'!"

"No, still haven't got it," said Ethan cheerfully, sweeping back into his room. "Care to say it again, say, slightly louder and more indistinct?"

Benny closed his mouth with what he had hoped would be a dismissive snap, but due to the stiffness of his jaw, it actually remained half-open, making him look slightly gormless.

Ethan smirked. "It's OK, Benny, we know you're not an invalid." He hesitated, and then couldn't resist. "But you still want me to ask Mum to mash up your food for you, right?"

Benny gave him a withering glare, and then, blushing, nodded. Ethan and Rory burst out into hysterics, leaving Benny to flop down onto Ethan's chair, fuming, as he waited for them to finish.

Eventually, the pair of them stopped finding Benny's condition quite so funny, and, wiping their eyes, recovered themselves enough to look at him without dissolving into giggles.

"Are 'ou fi'ished?"

"Yes, Benny, we're quite _fished_." Ethan's mouth twitched a little. "For now, at least."

"What happened?" asked Rory. "I've not been to the dentist for ages, and –" (here he looked a little wistful) "- I probably never will again."

"–'s a 'oo 'ing, Wowy."

"You think…?" mused Rory, after a brief moment of translation in his head. Maybe it was a good thing. But it would, at least, have been normal…

"-'es" replied Benny, as decisively as he could manage. "Tha' 'en'ist 'ook ou' th'ee o' 'y 'eef."

"They enlisted thee of your eef?" said Rory, screwing up his face in confusion. "Where did you go, some kind of cult? And what's an eef?" He looked thoughtful. "Do I have one? And what do they enlist in?"

"_Th'ee_ o' 'y _eef_!" spluttered Benny, gesturing wildly at his mouth and also counting on his finger. "'un, 'oo, _th'ee_!" Out of his top pocket, he produced a little brown paper packet and waved it exasperatedly at them.

"Oh, I _see_!" said Ethan, laughing again.

Rory frowned. "Uh, _I_ don't…"

Benny crashed his hands into his head, letting out a small moan of despair.

Ethan decided to step in. "They're his teeth, Rory."

"Oh." Rory looked disappointed. "No cult, then?"

Ethan shook his head. Rory suddenly perked up. "Did you know that, in the fifteenth century, the –"

"Yes!" interrupted Ethan, quickly.

Benny frowned. "Wha' –"

"You don't want to know," said Ethan, an edge in his voice.

Rory looked a little glum. "I was only going to tell you about what the Spanish Inquisition did…"

"Yeah, well, you've already shown me the pictures…" muttered Ethan.

Rory's clouded expression suddenly disappeared again, and he searched around in his bag. In a slightly muffled voice, he carried on talking to them. "Anyway, now that you're here, Benny, there was something I wanted to show you. It's a present I'm going to give to Erica. Do you think she'll like it?"

Falling silent, he straightened up, presenting them with his little plant.

They stared at it for a while. Eventually, Ethan said something.

"What on _earth_ is that?"

Rory shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. I think it might be a type of zinnia. Or, at least, that's where it was in the shop."

"It looks pretty – predatory," said Ethan, nervously.

"Jus' ri' fo' Eri'a!" said Benny, essaying a strained smile.

Rory nodded happily. "I thought so."

Ethan looked at it warily. "Are you sure it's not … dangerous? I mean, what does it eat?"

"Plant food…" said Rory, slowly, not grasping Ethan's point.

"What sort?"

"Well, if I remember, light, water and carbon dioxide."

"Nothing else? I mean, it _looks_ carnivorous."

"No!" said Rory, shaking his head. "There's no way you'd get a fly-trap or something for a dollar ninety-five anyway."

"Oh. It's just a regular plant?"

Rory nodded, putting his bag on the floor. With a clink, something fell out and rolled across the floor. Benny picked it up and looked at Rory quizzically. It was the vial, and it still had dregs of the red liquid in it.

"Wha's this, then, Wowy?"

"Just – just some plant food. I've been keeping it in the dark at school, and it needed a boost to keep it healthy."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "What kind of a boost?" He took the vial from Benny, unstopped it, and let a little dribble into his palm.

Rory's eyes widened. "You think – I – I've been feeding it _blood_?"

Tentatively, Ethan dipped his tongue into the droplet in his hand. He spat it out again, immediately. "Euurgh!"

"No' 'lood?" asked Benny.

Ethan shook his head, pinching at the tip of his tongue, trying to wipe away the taste. "Definitely plant food…" he said, eventually, grimacing in distaste.

Rory looked a little hurt. "You didn't believe me!"

"I'm sorry, Rory," said Ethan, "but we know what trouble plants can be. Even if it was just an accident, we'd have to check."

Rory nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But still…"

He remained downcast for at least a minute, before brightening yet again. "So do you think she'll like it?" he said.

Benny nodded. "I thin' so, yeah. Ewica" (here Rory and Ethan couldn't help but snigger) "_Ewica_ a'ways li'ed plan's, e'n fo' she was a wam – fam – 'ampire."

Rory frowned briefly, working out what Benny had said. "Yeah. Thanks! I think…" He stood up, taking the plant under his arm. "I'll get it to her right away!" he said, zooming out of the door.

"Does he even have any idea where she might be?" asked Ethan, shaking his head.

Benny shrugged. "He a'ways fin's her ewentuawy."

"Eventually, yes." Ethan smiled. "It's quite sweet, really."

"Pafetic," said Benny, derisively.

Ethan laughed. "Maybe." He looked thoughtful. "I missed you today."

Benny shook his head. "Ge' a gwip, Efan."

Ethan stuck his tongue out at Benny, and leaned over to kiss him.

"No' the 'ouf!" cried Benny, urgently.

After a brief moment of confusion, Ethan understood. "Oh, right! Not the mouth." Leaning in, he quickly kissed Benny on the nose instead. "You've really got to get speaking as normal again, or this is going to get really tedious."

He flung open the door. "Come on, B. Let's find you something that you can eat with a straw!"

* * *

That night, Benny lay down heavily on his bed. The injections were starting wear off now, and, though his mouth was less stiff, his jaw was aching. Tentatively, he pulled out the pieces of cotton wool. He didn't want to choke on them. He set them down on the bedside table, next to his little packet of teeth. Despite his sore mouth, once he'd turned out the light, he fell asleep almost instantly.

He didn't see therefore, the packet begin to glow after an hour or so – blue, and green, and purple, with the lights constantly shifting position between the three teeth. Neither did he see the dark figure standing by them, or the same shape picking up the packet and taking out each glowing tooth in turn. As Benny slept, the person standing behind his bed slipped the teeth and bag into their pocket, replacing them with a seemingly identical set - except, of course, that these didn't glow.

With a low laugh, the figure disappeared. But Benny didn't see that either.


	10. Open Wide - Part 3

**Continuous as the stars that shine**

Benny yawned as he woke, stretching his arms out, and then folding them behind his head. He looked up at the blank ceiling, feeling the empty spaces in his mouth cautiously with his tongue. He winced as he touched a tender area.

He looked across at the clock. Time to get up. Reluctantly, he pushed back the covers and stood up, yawning again. Absent-mindedly, he straightened the clock, his fingers brushing against the packet of his teeth. In his socks, he padded across to the door, about to go for a shower.

Then he stopped, and frowned. Why was the clock out of position? He shuffled back across to his bed, and looked down at the table. Was it him, or had everything moved, very slightly? Had he left the packet of teeth like that? It had been late, but he was sure that it had been sealed.

He shook his head. Maybe it had come unstuck in the night. But…

Benny frowned again. Something didn't feel right. He muttered something. Then room glowed like a green cage. There were no gaps or damaged areas. Apparently, no one had been there.

But still something felt out of place. Concerned, he hurried off to shower and change. He needed to talk to someone about this. On an impulse, he scooped up the little packet and stuffed it into his pocket. Maybe they could be some help.

* * *

Ethan was getting his books out of his locker for his first lesson, and (a little anxiously) wondering where Benny was, when a hand clapped him on the shoulder. Worried thoughts ran through his head as he turned around. Had he done something wrong? Was he just going to be randomly picked on? Or – and this made him truly fearful – had someone found out about him and –

"Oh, Benny, it's you!" he said, relieved.

To his surprise, Benny didn't reply, not even with a smile. He looked a bit unnerved, actually, glancing around furtively, and not quite standing still.

"I think that someone was in my room last night," he said, urgently.

"Well, it wasn't me!" said Ethan, trying to make light of it. "And, hey, you can talk properly again!"

Benny ignored Ethan's joking around and looked at him with a serious frown. "I mean it, Ethan. They didn't trip any of mine or Grandma's protection spells, but I'm certain that I someone had been there. It's just this _feeling_."

Ethan nodded, slowly. "It wasn't Rory, was it? You know how he likes to watch people sleep."

Benny shook his head. "Yes, I know about that. But I've warned him about doing that. He's learned his lesson on _that_ front."

Ethan eyed Benny cautiously. He himself didn't mind Rory's slightly odd habit, but he wondered idly what Benny had done to warn Rory off. It must have been something memorable, as most things left little imprint on Rory's mind. "So why would you think I'd be able to help you?"

"Take these," said Benny, thrusting a small paper package at Ethan. Perplexed, Ethan looked inside. He grimaced.

"These are your teeth, Benny!" He looked again. "You really let them get decayed, didn't you," he said, critically.

"Mmmf," grunted Benny, evasively. He tipped the packet up. "Touch them."

Ethan recoiled as they dropped into his hand. "Yuck –" He froze.

Benny waited expectantly. After a moment, Ethan's face returned to normal.

"No. Nothing. I thought there might have been, but I didn't see anything." He looked across at Benny. "That was what you wanted me to do, wasn't it? You didn't just want me to hold your teeth for no reason?"

Benny frowned. "Nothing at all?"

"Not even a glimmer of a vision."

Benny brightened. "Then there must be something up."

"Yeah – wait, how did you reach _that_ conclusion?"

"Look, my teeth are magic teeth, right?"

"Uh – _OK_, if you say so…" said Ethan, not convinced.

"Well, shouldn't you be able to sense _something_ odd about them?" argued Benny.

"I don't know! These visions just happen – I don't have any control. It's not like they came with a manual!"

"Ok, then, let's do an experiment. Touch my teeth."

"What!"

"In my mouth. Go on," insisted Benny.

Ethan looked about. "Here? In the corridor?"

"Ethan! Just do it."

Glancing around again, Ethan put his fingers on Benny's bared teeth. Immediately, he pulled them away, a startled expression on his face.

"What did you see?" asked Benny.

"Nothing. But there was a weird tingling in my fingers, and – look!" Ethan held up his hand. The tips of his fingers were glowing and flashing in many different colours.

"So you'll admit there's something strange about my teeth."

Still transfixed by his sparkling fingers, Ethan nodded absently. "Hmm?"

With a sigh, Benny waved a hand in front of Ethan's face. "Hell_o_? Earth to Ethan…"

With a twitch, Ethan looked up at Benny, his eyes refocusing. "Sorry, what?"

"Teeth. Odd. Yes?" said Benny, saying each word slowly and clearly.

"Yes, but I still don't see what this has to do with the other teeth."

"If you can't detect anything weird about them, then they can't be _mine_," explained Benny.

Ethan frowned. "But why wouldn't they be? Unless –"

"Somebody switched them? Exactly," said Benny, a note of triumph in his voice.

Ethan frowned. "But what if, once they're separated from your body, your teeth lose their magic?"

"I don't think so. I think someone came into my room last night and switched them."

"A bit tenuous. This all based on a half-baked interpretation of magic and psychic powers."

"Hey, I went along with it when you had your ropey theory about those murders the other week," Benny reminded him.

"After a fashion," muttered Ethan, but he accepted the point. "All right. _If_ there is something up, who do you think took your teeth?"

"Hardly anybody knew," said Benny. "You, your family, Rory, Grandma, and the dentist."

"Oh, well, I'm putting _my_ money on Jane," said Ethan, snorting. He sighed. "The dentist it is, then. But _why_?"

Benny shrugged. At that moment, the bell rang for their first lesson. "We'll have to talk about this later," said Benny. "Tell Sarah."

"Yes," replied Ethan. "We need to come up with a plan." He looked thoughtfully at his fingers, which were still changing colour. "How long do you think this will last?"

Benny raised his eyebrows. "I don't know. It'll wear off eventually, I guess."

Ethan scowled. "Sooner rather than later, I hope." Shoving his hand into his pocket, he walked with Benny to class.

"Benny?"

"Yeah?"

"If I _had_ felt something about those other teeth – which you can have _back_ now – would you have still been suspicious?"

"Yep."

"So we would have investigated this whatever?"

Benny nodded. "But I needed to convince you."

"We are getting _way_ too paranoid."


	11. Open Wide - Part 4

**They stretched in never-ending line**

"… and they said that teaching would suit me still less! Can you believe that?"

"Um … yes?" said Ethan, looking up at Sarah from his lunch nervously.

She stopped in mid-rant and looked at him. "What do mean by that?"

"Well, uh, remember the time when you tried to teach Jane how to bake a cake? And you ended up dumping the mix over her head in frustration?"

"Well – she was just – _impossible_!" growled Sarah, her eyes flashing.

"Worse than Ethan?" asked Benny, munching on his sandwich.

"Not quite…" smiled Sarah. She frowned. "But, I mean…"

"Career's Day not going well, then?" supplied Rory.

"In a word: no." Sarah slumped back miserably in her chair. "I have no idea what I want to do with my life."

"Well, look on the bright side, Sarah," said Benny, through a shower of crumbs, "at least you have a long time in which try things out!"

Sarah's face instantly darkened.

Benny wasn't slow to notice that he'd said almost exactly the wrong thing. He coloured rapidly as he tried to back out. "But – ah – uh – you – erm – Ethan? _Help…"_

Ethan's lips twitched into a smile. "You're on your own there, Benny." He looked across at Sarah. "I'm sure you'll find something. Everyone always does, sooner or later."

"I suppose so…" Sarah looked thoughtful, and then smiled sadly across at Ethan.

Benny looked aggrieved. "He just said what _I_ said, but, uh – nicer…"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Anyway, pushing that aside, let's go back to what I am good at: what was it that you two wanted to talk to us about?"

"Yeah, saving the world – _that_ we can do!" laughed Rory.

Ethan frowned. "_Technically_, I don't think ever have saved the world. We just save Whitechapel. A lot."

Rory shrugged. "Maybe by making this tiny part of the world really, really safe, it balances out our complete unconcern for the rest of the planet."

Benny raised an eyebrow. "It's a theory. I'm happy to go with it."

"Get on with it, Benny," sighed Sarah.

"Ah. Right. Well, to cut a long story short, I think that the dentist that I saw yesterday is evil."

"Well, uh, _duh_," said Sarah, after a brief pause. "They're a dentist. It's one of the necessary requirements. In fact, they kept Erica behind to talk about her bright future in that career."

"Why _especially_ evil?" asked Rory.

Ethan grimaced. "It's a slightly spurious train of thought that Benny has happily let slide off from the station of rational thought, past scepticism central without stopping and is now heading towards lunatic junction –"

He broke off, noticing that the others were looking at him strangely.

"I – I took that metaphor too far, didn't I?"

They nodded. "Just a bit, yeah," said Sarah, coolly.

"Well, whatever, _I_ think that the dentist stole my teeth last night."

"Right…" said Rory, slowly. "Uh, forgive me for asking, but _why…_?"

Benny shrugged. "What am I – a psychiatrist for lunatic dentists? For some currently unknown, but probably malicious, reason."

Sarah looked at him doubtfully. "And you have no evidence for this except for…?"

"A feeling."

Sarah shrugged. "We've acted on less. What we need to do, then, is scout around, find out what they're getting up to, find a way to stop them, _actually_ stop them, and then kill them, chop them up and feed them to Rory's plant."

The other three nodded along –

"Hey, wait a minute!" said Ethan, his brain catching up.

Sarah grinned. "Just a joke!"

Rory nodded. "The plant wouldn't like that at all. It wouldn't survive being fed with blood."

"You didn't find Erica, then?" asked Benny.

Rory shook his head. "I'm still keeping the plant in my locker.

"So," said Ethan, opening his sandwich to pick out the pieces of cucumber, "how are we going to find out more about this dentist?"

There was a silence. Ethan looked up to find the others all staring at him. He blanched.

"Oh, _no…_"

* * *

"I still don't see why it has to be me that does this!" Ethan said, being pushed reluctantly along the road by Sarah and Rory, each of whom was holding on to one of his elbows. If people were to look closely, they would have noticed that his feet weren't touching the ground.

"Well, Ethan, neither Rory or I could have gone, because, uh, we're _vampires_, and even if this dentist is slightly more evil than normal, that would still probably freak them out, and Benny went only yesterday."

Ethan groaned. "I need to have more human friends… Hey – why couldn't we have made Jane come instead?"

"Because, Ethan," said Benny, sternly, "that would be mean." Ethan opened his mouth to argue that that was no reason not to do it to Jane, but Benny continued over him. "Also, Jane wouldn't know what to look for. Or _touch_."

Ethan nodded resignedly. "I guess…"

"Did your hand stop glowing, by the way?" asked Benny, curious.

Ethan held it up. His fingers were back to their normal colour.

Benny sighed. "That's a shame. I quite liked them all sparkly."

Sarah and Rory looked at the two of them, and then at each other, completely confused. "What _are_ you two talking about?"

"I'll tell you later," said Benny, as they slowed to a stop.

Ethan looked up, and realised that they had arrived at the dentist. "No, I think we can tell them about it now!" he said, hurriedly.

Benny's mouth twitched into a smile. "No, Ethan, in you go." Ethan scowled.

"We'll be right over there in the park," said Sarah, reassuringly. "And definitely not enjoying ourselves."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "I'm so glad…"

"Oooh, look! Ice-cream!" cried Rory, already dashing across the road.

"In _January_?" laughed Sarah, shaking her head in Benny's direction, but he, too, had already sped over to the other side of the street.

Raising an eyebrow, Ethan turned away and morosely entered the dentist.

* * *

Inside, it smelt the same as dentists always did – an odd mix of toothpaste, rubber, and whatever that weird pink stuff actually was. Bleach, or something. He gave his name to the receptionist and sat down moodily on a bench.

He didn't actually mind going to the dentist. Of all of the many things that he was scared of, the dentist was not one. He always kept his teeth scrupulously clean, and he'd never had any problems. But there was something about going today that made him uneasy. Maybe Benny was right. Maybe there really was something odd going on here.

Ethan looked about him. There seemed nothing unusual here. There was no large rug that might mask some kind of pentacle or trapdoor. No mystic symbols hidden in the wallpaper. Nothing seemed particularly magical. The cabinet over the reception desk was even lit with multi-coloured fairy lights. How mundane and tacky can you get?

He sighed. There was nothing to be scared of here. But why, then, did he have such a bad feeling about this?

Ethan looked up at the sound of a door opening.

"_Next_!"


	12. Open Wide - Part 5

**They flash upon that inward eye**

As soon as Ethan entered the whitewashed room, he was looking about him for anything unusual. Unfortunately, the dentist took his staring eyes to be a sign of fear, and thus spoke to him rather patronisingly.

"Now, young man, there's nothing to be worried about, provided that you've been brushing regularly!" he said, in a jocular manner. "Now, up you pop on the big chair and we'll have a look around."

Trying not to roll his eyes, Ethan gazed calmly across at the brown eyed man, then sat down on the chair and leaned back. While the dentist busied himself with his instruments, Ethan took the opportunity to examine the ceiling. There were no odd shapes, or ominous hooks. It wasn't bowed in the middle, as if something heavy lay above the room. A brief flutter of fear ran through him as he considered that the chair might tip back and drop him into some kind of pie factory supplying the neighbouring shop – or was he over-thinking this?

He considered. Well, he didn't remember there being a conveniently located pie shop nearby. Although there was an ice cream shop over the road – could it be? – No! People weren't made into ice cream, were they? _Were_ they? Starting to become frightened, Ethan tried to clear his head. No. No. If it had been anything like that, Benny would have been mashed up with chocolate chips in a freezer yesterday. So it wasn't that. But what if it _wasn't _Benny, but some kind of robot copy? Ethan's brain started to run into panic mode as he imagined all the things that could be about to happen to him. And those were only the things he could imagine. There must be people with much worse imaginations than this, fearing – all sorts of –

Stop!

Think rationally, Ethan, he told himself. Of course Benny is the real one – otherwise his fingers wouldn't have turned a funny colour. Exactly. That made sense. Sort-of. Using this small lever into sanity, he felt the sides of the chair. Nothing. No hinges or springs. Just an ordinary chair. Good. For a minute there, he thought he'd stumbled into the wrong musical. Taking a breath, he focused on the situation. This was the one with the evil dentist. Well, _probably _evil dentist. Right.

"Ready?" asked the dentist, turning.

Embarrassedly aware of the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead during his momentary panic attack, Ethan looked up into the placid blue eyes and nodded jaggedly. He opened his mouth.

He felt the dentist's hand probing around in his mouth. It was gloved. That was going to prove problematic. Should he bite it? No – that wouldn't be a good idea. He'd probably be arrested, or something. He was just going to have to find another way to touch the man.

"Would you mind turning your head to the side, Ethan?" asked the dentist.

Ethan did as he was told, his mind buzzing. How did he know his name? A less paranoid part of his brain argued that it was probably on a form somewhere, but Ethan wasn't really listening to it. What was he going to do – cut his throat? Or - ?

Why was he thinking like this? He didn't normally fill his head with all these fears. Well, OK, he _did_, but they were usually rational and generally concerned with the thing that was about to eat him, or sacrifice him to dark forces, or, well, just _Jane_. Maybe that was what was odd about this place. He'd been feeling on edge ever since he'd got near the place. It could be his psychic powers playing up, or he could just be a bit jittery today, but it was a remarkably _strong_ unhinging of his reason that was going on.

The dentist turned Ethan's head back, and looked down at him with a kind look in his green eyes.

"All done, young man. No problems there at all. In fact, some of the best kept teeth I've seen in a while. Much better than the boy that came in here yesterday. Too much candy and not enough floss." He removed the mask and smiled at his own joke. "If you'll excuse the pun."1

Ethan slid off the chair, suddenly cheerful. He knew that Benny had been making up the bit about magic users having bad teeth…

The dentist turned away to dispose of his gloves. Ethan frowned as he noticed something at his back. His white coat didn't seem to fit right over his shoulders. It was as if there was something lumpy underneath – but, no, that was silly.

A moment later, the genial dentist had turned back. "I'll just sign your form, and you won't need to come back here for another six months." Smiling, he scribbled down his name on the piece of paper that Ethan hadn't even realised he was still holding tightly on to, so wandering had his mind become during the five or so minutes since the red-headed receptionist had given it to him.

Returning the cardboard folder to Ethan, the man then opened the door with a flourish. "Goodbye, Ethan, and I hope I don't see you again soon!" Ethan went to go, cursing his luck that he'd been unable to get an opportunity to touch him. "Keep up the good work!"

Ethan smiled politely, and stepped out into the corridor.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" cried the man. Ethan turned. The dentist was holding out a sticker. It was a cartoonish picture of a tooth with a rather corny smiley face. Ethan opened his mouth to reject it – it was, after all, something for kids, and he was _sixteen_. Well, almost.

But… He did actually quite want a sticker… A voice in his head told him that he had been such a _brave_ boy, and that he should take it as a reward. Going against the habit of a lifetime, Ethan decided to go with the little voice in his head, and he let the man press the sticker to his chest.

As he withdrew his hand, though, it brushed against Ethan's exposed wrist, and –

_Teeth. Hundreds, if not thousands of teeth, piled up in a ring around three glowing, colourful teeth in the middle. The whole scene shimmered with power, while the shadow of a figure that was apparently flying crossed his line of sight._

- Ethan blinked, returning to his senses. He looked into the concerned brown eyes of the dentist.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Ethan nodded. "Sorry, I – I got up too quickly. I'm fine, now, though." He smiled weakly and hurried down the stairs and out of the building, pausing only to give his form to the blonde woman at reception.

Once in the street, he stared across the road at his friends. Then his eyes widened in shock as he realised something. How had he been so _stupid_?


	13. Open Wide - Part 6

**The bliss of solitude**

Sarah watched as Ethan stepped out of the dentist's door and onto the pavement. For a while, he stood where he was, presumably looked thoughtful (with Ethan, it was a reasonable guess), before suddenly turning pale, and glancing up. Their eyes met across the road. He crossed the road quickly (observing, of course, due precaution) and was soon standing next to the bench. She could tell that he was concerned about something, but that seemed mixed in with another emotion – he seemed angry with himself.

He sat down right next to her. There was time when he wouldn't have done that without going through three different shades of red, she mused, before looking across at him. He was, apparently, a little put out.

"Where are Benny and Rory?" he asked, irritable.

"Over there, somewhere," said Sarah, gesturing vaguely behind her. "Rory ran off with Benny's ice cream, and Benny went to catch him. I think he's been failing miserably. They'll come back eventually. Probably when Rory's eaten both."

Ethan nodded. They were pretty childish at times, she almost heard him say. She knew that he must have been thinking it. Sarah glanced down at the sticker on his chest. She raised an eyebrow. Ethan blushed. Maybe he was, too.

"Have a good time?" she asked.

Ethan shuddered a little. "There's definitely something up with the dentist – and it's not just him, but the whole place. All the time I was there, I got this really bad feeling. I couldn't focus on anything, and my mind just kept spinning off into panic. There must be some kind of sinister force at work there."

"Or you're just going mad…" suggested Sarah.

Ethan shook his head. "I had a vision, too. There were loads of teeth, all glowing, in a ring. It felt like a really powerful spell. And –" He broke off, suddenly, embarrassed.

"What?" she asked, intrigued.

"I – I think his eyes changed colour."

"What do you mean, you _think_? Either they did, or they didn't."

Ethan blushed furiously. "Well, I wasn't really paying attention. I was paying too much attention to my paranoia, and trying to get a vision, that it didn't register. By the time I left, his eyes were back to, uh, brown, I think, and I have no idea whether they really did change colour, or whether it was just my imagination."

"What's just in Ethan's imagination?" asked Rory, appearing beside them, Benny sprinting up along the path some way behind.

"E_-than,_ Rory stole my ice cream!" cried Benny petulantly.

Ethan closed his eyes and shook his head. "Good…" he muttered, though only Sarah could hear.

"Ethan thinks that the dentist's eyes changed colour, but he's not sure, because he was too busy being paranoid," explained Sarah.

Ethan's eyes snapped open. "I was going –"

"Yeah, but it would've taken ages. Short and sweet, that's my motto. No wasting words. No extraneous sentences. Cut right to the –"

"Sarah!" said Ethan, exasperated.

"Oh. Right. Oops." She blushed at her own hypocrisy. "Uh… So, what has eyes that change colour?"

Benny looked thoughtful, and dragged his spell book out of his bag. Ethan shrugged, already having established that he had no idea. Sarah waited for someone to say something. Rory gazed vacantly into space.

"Fairies…" he said, his eyes shining.

The other three looked at him. "Was that a suggestion, or just something that crossed your mind?" said Ethan, drily.

Rory seemed to refocus. "Uh…"

"Hang on!" said Benny, flipping madly through his book. "Here we are! 'Fairies, or the fair folk, … blah, blah, blah … cannot keep their colouring consistent.' Their whole appearance is magical, so it has a tendency to unravel if they're not paying attention."

"So I was right!" said Rory, grinning. He looked quickly to the side. "And that was totally my intention…"

Lips quirking into a smile, Sarah looked coolly over the road at the dentist's. "A fairy, then? That's different. And are fairies evil, or...?"

"Oh, come _on_, Sarah, when was the last time something supernatural and _good_ happened?" said Ethan. "Whenever do magical creatures turn up and say that they want to bring us peace, prosperity and happiness? Or do they prefer to throw things at us?"

She glanced at him. He was scowling. "OK, OK, forgive me for looking on the bright side! Benny?"

"Erm… 'Fairies are notably capricious. Their intentions generally depend on the fairy in question, at the time of the event,'" he read, in his best encyclopaedia voice.

"So, in other words, we don't know," said Sarah. Great.

Benny nodded.

"So we should regroup later and come up with a plan?" suggested Ethan.

The others started to nod, but Benny suddenly froze. "Why?" he asked.

Ethan frowned, confused. "Because if we don't stop whatever it is, something bad will probably happen," he said, speaking very slowly.

"That's not what I meant. Why can't we just do it now? It's not like we've got anything better to do."

"Uh…" Ethan blushed. "Fine."

"Good," said Benny, briskly, before dropping into a rough approximation of Ethan's voice when he talked about a plan. "We have two options – force or stealth. Now, for the first option, we could all burst in and grab them, as I'm pretty sure we could beat a single fairy. Or, if we were to go by stealth we –"

"You could all just come inside with me."

They turned. At the other end of the bench stood the dentist. He beamed at them.

Immediately, Rory and Sarah sprang forwards, fangs bared, while Benny started to build up some magic.

The man held up his hands. "There's no need for violence. In fact, we rather need your help."

Sarah frowned. "Help? Why?"

He looked a little sheepish. "The spell that we want to perform is rather more difficult than we had anticipated. We need another spell caster in order to make in work." He now looked pointedly at Benny, who drew himself up.

"Why should I help you with your evil plans?" he declared, narrowing his eyes.

"Because they're not evil," the dentist replied, simply.

Sarah looked doubtful. "But –"

"I'm a dentist? said the man eagerly, sitting down on the bench and leaning towards them. They leant away. "I know. Well, sort of. I'm a tooth fairy."

Not wholly surprised, they relaxed a little, and listened to him as he explained.

"We're fed up of people being afraid of going to the dentist. They shouldn't be. It's as normal and, usually, painless, as any other activity." He looked at Ethan. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Ethan nodded. Benny opened his mouth to protest, but the dentist held up his hand to silence him.

"_That_ was your own fault, young man. If you'd taken a little more care…"

Watched by the others, Benny went crimson. He eventually nodded, much abashed.

"So what do want to do?" asked Ethan, trying to spare Benny's embarrassment as much as possible.

"We want people not to be afraid of the dentist. The aim is to use their teeth to absorb their fear."

"How does that work?" asked Rory, dubious.

"Magic," replied the dentist and Benny at the same time. Benny was already leafing through his spell book enthusiastically, before stopping on a page.

"Here. 'The Rite of…" His voice trailed off as he scanned the complicated mechanics of the spell, and he looked across excitedly at the dentist, a light shining in his eyes. The man, his eyes twinkling in different colours, grinned back encouragingly.

"You'll help, then?"

A bit carried away by the advanced nature of the spell, Benny immediately got up and crossed the street with the man, talking animatedly. The other three were left sitting on the bench.

"Um, I guess that's a yes, then…" commented Sarah, standing up. "See, Ethan, there _are_ good supernatural forces."

He scowled. "So it seems. I can't be right all the time!"

"What percentage target would be acceptable?" teased Sarah, before flashing across the road with Rory.

Sighing, Ethan followed.

* * *

Pushing open the door, Ethan headed past he empty reception desk to the back room beyond. Inside, he stopped in the doorway, and gasped.

Thousands of teeth, just as in his vision, were spread out in a circle. In the centre knelt Benny, who was carefully setting his three teeth, which were glowing in different colours, just like Ethan's fingers had been, upright. Holding his spell book open, Benny closed his eyes and muttered something over them, before quickly stepping out of the circle.

The dentist had now lost his coat, allowing his gossamer-like wings to flap freely. The receptionist had similar wings, and her hair was shot through with every imaginable colour. They took up their positions at two points of an equilateral triangle. Once he had hopped out of the ring, Benny stood up the third.

Drawing close to Sarah and Rory, who were pressed against the wall, Ethan felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as the air over the ring of teeth shimmered. There was a huge amount of power building here. He only hoped that they knew what they were doing…

Glancing worriedly at Sarah and Rory, Ethan suddenly felt a surge of fear flow through him. He shuddered as the feeling of blind terror poured through his mind. And then it was gone. It was if something had been lifted from his head.

He looked about. Had it worked? Clearly Rory and Sarah had just had the same experience, judging by the way they were holding their heads. Benny, too, looked shaken, while the dentist-fairies looked exhausted. The ring of teeth no longer oozed power, and the air was still. The three flashing teeth of Benny's, though, were black and cracked.

The man stepped into the ring and examined them. Looking up at them all, he nodded, a relieved smile on his face.

"Now that didn't take very long, but I suppose we have to clean all this up…" said Rory, resignedly.

* * *

A day or so later, the four of them were sitting at lunch.

"That's the ninth kid so far that's eagerly gone off to the dentist," said Ethan, pointing to the retreating back of a classmate. "I think that spell worked a little too well!"

Benny laughed. "No such thing! People aren't afraid of going to the dentist anymore. The world is a little brighter. People will have better dental hygiene. The tooth fairies are happy – everyone is happy!"

"One person isn't –" started Sarah, in a low voice.

"I can't believe it!" fumed Erica, appearing by the table. "I finally found something in which people would legitimately fear me, and _now_ everyone loves dentists! I ask you…"

"Aww. I'm sure you'll find something else to terrify people with, Erica," said Benny. All that did was earn him a snarl, before she turned to stalk away.

"Hey, Erica?" said Rory.

Against her better judgement, she turned back. "What is it, dork?"

"I've got this for you!" said Rory, cheerfully ignoring the insult. He held out his plant to her.

Erica opened her mouth to sneer something at him, but, taking the pot in her hands, she looked at the little bud. Her mouth hung open for a while as she looked at it, admiring each delicate little contour. She really _did_ like plants…

Closing her mouth with a little rush of air, she abruptly turned and walked off, holding tightly on to her new pot plant.

"She could have at least said thank you," muttered Benny. He was going to say more, but was stopped by a look from Ethan and Sarah, who glanced pointedly at Rory.

He was still staring at where Erica had been, a dopey smile draped across his face. She had taken his present. It was enough.


	14. Episode 3 - Birthday Cards

**Episode Three. Reviews keenly sought, as per usual.**

* * *

Birthday Cards

* * *

**In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree**

Ethan wandered aimlessly around Whitechapel, his hands shoved deep into his coat pockets and a scarf tightly wound around his neck. Looking around at the first gusts of snow, he shivered. Glancing up at the sky, he noted the strange yellow colour it had turned. This wasn't going to be a brief flurry, then. Pulling his hand reluctantly out of his warm pocket, he checked his watch.

6:23. Well, they had asked him to wait for at least an hour, and that had been _nearly_ an hour. By the time he got home, it would be an hour, he supposed. Thrusting his hand back into the warm, he puffed out his cheeks, and hunkered down a little against the oncoming snow storm. His teeth chattered as a chill wind picked up, winding its way through his many layers of clothing. His breath misting in the air, he turned to head back to his house.

The snow was settling fast, he noticed, looking back at his trail of footprints that were already being covered up. He walked on, bracing himself for the cold. Why did he have to have been born in February? And why was his birthday always at the time when winter got its second wind? He sighed, sending a long cloud issuing from his mouth. There was nothing he could do about it. Except maybe move to the Southern hemisphere. Knowing his luck, though…

Pushing all thoughts of his disappointment in the weather away, Ethan shivered again, but this time with excitement. It was his birthday, after all! Sixteen… Hmm. What could you do at sixteen in this part of Canada? Not a lot, he seemed to remember vaguely from citizenship lectures. Possibly buy glue. You could drive, but, well, he didn't anticipate his parents changing their mind on _that_ issue. He wished that he could tell them the truth about what had happened over the summer, but he knew that they'd never believe him. So they were likely going to remain to treat him as a child for the time being. A thought struck him. What were they going to do about a babysitter once Sarah left for university?

He winced. That was not a thought that he wanted to dwell on. Apart from the embarrassment of getting a new babysitter – which was pretty serious – there was the question of what they were going to do about the weird things that happened in Whitechapel. Without Sarah… He didn't know what they'd do without her. It wasn't like she hadn't been gone before, though, and, in taking Erica with her, the move to university might even lessen Whitechapel's problems. Still… He just had a bad feeling about her leaving. Would he, Benny and Rory be able to cope with it all? Well, him and Benny, at least. What if something went seriously wrong?

Ethan sighed again. They would have to deal with it. Anyway, today was not the day that he wanted to think about it. No. But, then again, the thought wouldn't go away. It sat there, a miserable fat blot in the centre of his mind. He didn't understand why he was so uneasy about the coming year. Between them they'd be fine. They always were. Always. It was just him being silly.

As he turned into his road, he couldn't hide from himself that that just wasn't true. This year really was going to be more difficult than last year. There were quite a lot of decisions that he needed to make this year. Sarah, _Benny_, even Rory and Erica. He felt responsible for them all. And there was still this nagging feeling that something bad was lurking out there in the future. He couldn't see anything – and the developing nature of his visions was something else that was bothering him – but he was certain of there being some danger. And it wasn't likely that the vampire from New Year was gone for good. And on top of all that was school.

Putting his key into the lock, he stopped, and looked thoughtful, mixed with a flash of sadness. He supposed that he was growing up. Which was _good_, but…

Wiping the moisture from his eyes (which was, _naturally_, only due to the biting wind), he brushed his melancholy to one side, and brightened a little. But he could put that off another day. Today there would be fun, and cake, and jelly, and sixteen candles to blow out, and, and –

And how he wished that there were still only fifteen.

* * *

He stepped into the hall and stood there, listening intently. He couldn't hear anything. He took off his coat and scarf and hung them up on the hook. Though it was a Saturday, his parents had taken Jane out, so that Ethan could have a party with his friends. A _small_ party, as it was repeatedly emphasised to him. Well, that wasn't much of a problem, he had thought ruefully: there were only really three people that he wanted to invite.

At least if his mum and dad weren't here then they weren't going to insist on taking photos of them. Which would have been awkward. Especially for Benny, of course, Ethan thought wryly, because he always looked slightly dazed in photographs… With a little laugh, Ethan remembered Jane's tenth birthday party, where Sarah, ostensibly babysitting for the evening, had gone to great lengths not to be in the photograph.

In a much better mood now, Ethan walked carefully through the kitchen, past his little pile of presents from earlier, listening carefully for the others. They were keeping pretty silent. Which was good going considering that this was Benny and Rory that they were talking about. It probably helped that Rory didn't breathe any more.

"Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday –" he sang to himself under his breath.

He looked through into the darkened living room. It was too dark to make anything out. He snaked his hand around the doorway and along to the light switch. Ethan readied his face to appear surprised, and flicked on the lights.

He was definitely surprised. There was no shout, no barrage of party poppers, no balloons, no cake – nothing. The room was entirely empty. His friends weren't there.

His heart in his mouth, Ethan had a sudden terrible thought – what if they had been attacked while he was out? His breath quickening, he looked about. No, this had to be just a joke – a trick! He stumbled forwards into the empty room, ready to panic, when he saw an envelope lying on the coffee table.

_Ethan._

The single word was written across the front in Sarah's handwriting. Intrigued, he picked it up.


	15. Birthday Cards - Part 2

**Through caverns measureless to man**

Ethan put his thumb underneath the gummed down flap and unsealed the envelope. He pulled out a folded sheet of paper, and, smiling, opened it up. He read:

_Dear Ethan,_

_Surprise!_

_We thought we'd do something a bit different for your birthday this year, and we've got something really exciting lined up for you. But that doesn't mean that we're going to be easy to find! You're going to have to follow our little trail._

_First off, make your way into the woods. In the third clearing (with the star) you'll find a key and another note._

_Good luck, and take care!_

_From,_

_Sarah, Benny, and Rory_

Ethan laughed. This was certainly unusual! Quite a twist on his normal birthdays, anyway. He was a little baffled by the instructions, though. He couldn't think of any clearing with a star… And he could enter the woods from anywhere!

He'd find it. He made his way excitedly back into the hall, and dressed again in his outdoor stuff. He'd forgotten all about his discomfort at the cold. Tucking the letter into his pocket, he took a last look around before closing and locking the front door.

This was going to be fun!

* * *

Crunching through the snow, Ethan entered the woods. He looked around. Well, this was the first clearing he came to when he went straight from his house. He carried on in a straight line, keeping his eyes peeled for further clues. He searched for the footprints of his friends, but, even if they had been there, they would have been long covered up by now. He hoped that they'd thought about the snow when they were setting this trail up. He glanced about as the path through the trees opened up again. Clearing number two, he assumed. Keep going, Ethan.

As he tramped down the path on the other side of the little glade, he wondered idly what they had planned. If it _was_ outside (which seemed pretty likely) it was going to get quite chilly. Unless they had something else in mind. Maybe this was just leading him to some new place. As long as he didn't end up in school (as they did most nights), he was happy. Whatever it was, they had left nothing at his house. It must have been quite a feat of organisation. Particularly with Rory 'helping'. Ethan smiled thinly, before stopping in the middle of the clearing.

Right. The third clearing. Now – look for a star? Or something. He frowned. That could mean anything. There was the possible arrangements of certain trees in an alternating pattern, or the lining up of all the paths that led here. Or maybe (and here he looked up at the darkening sky) he should estimate the angles of the stars and see –

He just didn't know! Angrily, he banged the palm of his hand against a nearby tree in frustration. He winced. That had hurt. He looked at his hand, trying to rub away the red mark that had been imprinted there. He glanced away, and then quickly back. He frowned, and then smiled. He then looked at the bark of the tree. Carved into it was a five pointed star that matched precisely the livid indentation on his hand. He rolled his eyes. Sometimes he overthought things – that was probably the legacy of his visions.

He glanced around. So where was this key? Looking up, he spotted a little piece of paper wrapped around a branch a short way above his head. He reached up to grab it. Ah. It was just out of reach. He jumped. Still too far. He scowled. Rory, no doubt, had done this. He loved the fact that he'd gone from the shortest to the tallest of them all, and putting the key out of reach was just another of his jokes.

Ethan glanced about, glad that nobody was watching him as he tried to stretch up to the paper parcel. After a few more tries, he gave up and went to find a stick to knock it down with. As he turned from the tree, he was sure that he heard a little chuckle. Startled, he stared around. Was someone watching him?

Just then, an owl flew from another tree, with a chortling hoot. That was all it was. Relieved, Ethan broke off a small branch, and returned to fetching the key. After much prodding, the paper and the key slid off and dropped into the snow. Oblivious to the cold, he picked them up.

The key was heavy and grey, with intricate designs on its handle. It certainly looked like it opened something of considerable size. What needed a lock that big? This birthday party was becoming curiouser and – _no_, more and more curious.

He opened the attached piece of paper and read the scrawled lines. This one was in Rory's handwriting, as he had suspected.

_Hi Ethan!_

_So you've made it this far (and you've managed to reach the key with your little mortal arms!). I hope you didn't take too long over finding the one with the star. If you're too late, then Benny will have eaten all the jelly. Um… Ignore that last bit! It's supposed to be a secret…_

_Next, line yourself up with the star and turn directly away from it. Follow the path for about five minutes until you reach a large round stone. Then turn left, then right, left again, and then another left, and you might find somewhere to put that key._

_See you later,_

_Rory, Sarah, and Benny_

Ethan rolled his eyes. Trust Rory to write a letter like that. He went back to the tree, and then turned 180 degrees. He couldn't see a path – but, wait, faintly, there was a thin line heading away. He stepped forwards. _This_ wasn't a well-used area of the forest.

* * *

Ethan checked his watch. Four minutes. He must nearly be at this stone. He shivered from the cold, and stared about in the gloom. He was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea. Here he was, in the middle of Whitechapel woods, in the dark, and walking around after dark _was_ something of an adventure sport at the best of times here. He shook his head. There was nothing to worry about. The others would never put him in danger. This was all perfectly safe.

He felt in his pocket for his torch. His heart gave a little lurch as he realised that he didn't have it with him. His nagging sense of trepidation rapidly dripped back into his mind. He pulled his scarf a little tighter, knowing that it wouldn't offer him much protection, but –

"Ow!" he cried, falling to the ground. Rubbing his shins, he scrambled quickly to his feet. He'd just fallen over the stone he was looking for. Taking out Rory's note, he then followed the next instructions carefully, the night getting darker all the time. Where was he going?

Eventually, he came out into an overgrown clearing with a rocky mound in the centre, covered in ivy. The half-moon had come out from a break in the clouds and shone down fairly brightly, turning the scene into watery silver. The layer of snow glinted in the strange light, while new flakes flashed as tiny falling sparks.

He sized up the stone outcrop. There was a large gap in the centre of it, blocked by an iron gate. Ethan looked at the key in his hand. This was the right place – and he still had no idea why they thought that this was a good idea for a party.

He edged towards it and unlocked the gate. Looking nervously back into the night for a last time, just in case he could spot the source of the occasional snaps and cracks that had been on the edge of his hearing since he'd left the tree, he drew his coat a bit closer around him, and stepped into the pitch blackness.

For a while after he'd gone in, nothing disturbed the tranquillity of the clearing. Then something detached itself stealthily from a tree and followed him inside.


	16. Birthday Cards - Part 3

**Enfolding sunny spots of greenery**

It was extremely dark inside what Ethan could only think to describe as a cave. The moonlight behind him showed him a little way in, but after that, there was nothing. He was really regretting not bringing a torch now. His friends knew what they were doing, though, (or so he fervently hoped) so…

Tentatively, he took a few steps forwards, hoping that his eyes would adjust to the darkness. After only a few steps, he found himself up against a wall. Felling left and right with his hands, he found that he could only turn right. As he did so, he became aware of a faint flickering in that direction. Was it his imagination?

He stumbled along the passage towards the apparent light. The closer he got, the more certain he became that there was a light there. And, for some reason, it seemed a pinky-purple. Turning another, corner, he sighed with relief to find a lilac flame sitting in a jar on a ledge. It illuminated the whole of the narrow cave, though it cast its unusual colour over everything. Below it was another note.

Squinting in the varying light, Ethan read the note. This one was in Benny's handwriting.

_E._

_Congratulations on getting to here without being eaten. (Not that there's anything out there to eat you – I _think!_) Only joking. Really!_

_Work your way through the caves using the map until you reach the underground river. __Do not__ try to cross it. Follow the river until you reach daylight._

_Good luck!_

_Benny, Rory, and Sarah_

At the bottom of the letter was a hastily scribbled line, also in Benny's writing:

_P.S. I bet you've not thought to bring a torch. Feel free to use the lantern._

_B._

_X_

Ethan smiled to see the rapid scrawl of a kiss. Clearly Benny had written that just before he had left the note behind.

He frowned. Much of the letter didn't make sense. What map, for a start? And head out into _daylight_? It was very definitely night time. Maybe he just meant outside. But that still didn't explain the –

As he fumbled at the paper with his cold hands, the note dropped to the floor. Muttering angrily to himself, Ethan went to pick it up. That was odd. There was nothing but a set of lines on it. Frowning again, he turned it over. Oh. Writing on the one side; weird lines on the other. Then a thought struck him. What if…

Rummaging in his pocket, Ethan pulled out the other two notes, and flipped them over. Yes! As he put them together, the lines formed an admittedly crude route for to follow, but it was enough. How had he not noticed it before?

Picking up the lantern by the handle, Ethan peered down at the map. He found where he was, and looked at the two paths that lay in front of him. He walked off down the left hand tunnel, and the light soon disappeared with him.

A minute or so later, there was an irritated tut, which might have been nothing, or it could have been someone who had no idea which way he'd gone. But it was probably nothing.

* * *

_Plink!_

Ethan stepped around the little puddle on the rocky floor. The cave system was rather damp, and the regular plash of water on water had accompanied his journey through them. Now, though, he was sure that he was nearing the end of the route, and he was sure that he could hear a more continuous tinkle of a stream somewhere nearby. That must be the underground river Benny had written about.

The sound of running water grew louder as Ethan picked his way along the tunnel. Then, quite suddenly, he found himself on a narrow ledge. Just next to him was the river. Or, rather, 'river'. It was more like a narrow stream. He thought back to Benny's injunction on crossing it. He looked across at the identical ledge. It wasn't that far. He could pretty much step across.

He held up the lantern to illuminate more of the little channel. Upstream, there was a narrow gap in the rock, from which the river flowed. In the other direction, it curved out of view, but the caves seemed to get larger the further away from him they were. Defying the instructions, Ethan decided to see what was on the other side. Just as he was about to jump, he saw something on the opposite wall that made him stop. There were words chalked on the stone:

_Still waters run deep_

It was in a hand that he didn't recognise, all jagged – looking at it made him feel a little uneasy. His face twisting in discomfort, Ethan shuffled back from the edge. He wasn't entirely sure what the words meant, but it certainly sounded ominous.

He didn't want to cross anyway. Oh no. Not him. Pressing himself a little closer to the wall than was probably necessary, Ethan headed off down river.

* * *

As he followed the river, the cave system broadened, and with it, the stream. A breeze – and a pleasantly warm one at that – started to play around him as the caves became impressive caverns. Limestone stalactites dropped majestically, the red light of the lantern setting them sparkling off in dazzling colours. The river was now wide and smooth, and ran past him almost silently. The water, though, was extremely dark.

Ethan walked on, with each step feeling a little more buoyant. The fear that had gripped him in the woods and the narrow sections of the cave had by now evaporated. He followed the next bend with a spring in his step. It was getting lighter all the time – inexplicably, for, looking at his watch, he noted that it was almost eight o'clock. He couldn't believe that it had been nearly an hour and a half since he'd started this trip. And it had been an hour and a half in which _nothing_ bad had happened to him.

Was it him, or was it getting too warm for his coat and scarf? He unbuttoned his jacket as he turned the corner, and was in the process of untying his scarf when he stopped dead in astonishment.

He had reached the end of the caves. The river continued, presumably plummeting out of the wide archway of pure white. It was like a smooth mouth that bounded the view beyond. Sunlight streamed in, golden, transforming the dark water to a laughing crystal blue. The spray thrown up as the water dived over the side shone in the perfect light. And that was just the mouth of the cave. Past the lip spread a lush landscape of rills of water and greenery; woods and lakes; meadows and hills, all as far as Ethan could see. In the distance, perhaps, there was a barely visible rim, but from here it seemed as if this was the whole world spread out before him – a whole perfect world, unspoilt by anything.

The golden haze of the water could only be surpassed by the film that covered Ethan's brain and caused him to wonder at it all. He stepped a little closer, and picked out the wave upon wave of flowers, in a vibrant multitude of colours. For miles, the river rippled lazily away, before again, far-away, it fell out of view with a last gleam.

A laugh burst from Ethan's lips. This had all been done – for _him_? But how? Joyfully, he ran up to the mouth of the cave and stood bathed in sunlight. He shielded his eyes from the light and gazed out over this paradise. He laughed again – for there _was_ an imperfection, a disruption in the serenity of nature.

A rickety table stood on a little hillock, next to a brightly coloured set of balloons. Ethan couldn't see his friends, but he knew that this was the place that they wanted him to come to.

He stepped through the golden mist, and the whole scene seemed to shimmer very briefly, as if he was looking at it through a pool of water. Another step and it was as it had been. Still curious about the practicalities despite his amazement, Ethan turned back. He placed a hand level with the mist. The mouth of the cave rippled, like he'd thrown a stone into a pond. He smiled. Magic. Of course. Some kind of portal?

A broad grin on his face, Ethan tuned back to the edge. A set of steps were carved into the rock. He went down them, spiralling behind the waterfall. Eventually, he reached the bottom and stood by the roar of the foaming river. He was soaked from the mist, but as he walked towards the table, the warm sun soon dried him. As he walked, he trailed his hands through the long grass. This really was … lovely.

He looked up as he climbed the small hill. Where were they? Surely this wasn't going to be another test?

He reached the table and smiled at the silly balloons. And, yes, the jelly was indeed partly eaten. So they _had_ been here, but, where were they now?

"Hello? Guys? I'm here!" he called, frowning, and looking about him. He smiled. "Come on, I followed all your instructions."

Frowning a bit, he took a few more paces forwards, scanning around. "Fine! I'll just be off, and I'm taking the whole cake with me!"

Nothing. No response. Not even a comment about him being greedy.

He tried again, walking forwards still further. "OK, I give in, I can't _see_ you. Happy now?"

Nope. Not even for a pun. That was odd.

Then, a little way off, he saw a clump of trees. Under it were three bodies, stretched out. Oh. Had he been so long that they'd gone off for a nap, or something?

He wandered towards them. "I'm sorry I took so long!" he cried. "But you can wake up now, and get this party going!"

He got closer and closer to his sleeping friends. He frowned. But Rory and Sarah didn't sleep – did they?

"Sarah? Benny? Rory? Wake up! – _Wake up!"_


	17. Birthday Cards - Part 4

**And all should cry, Beware! Beware!**

Panicked, Ethan bent down over his friends. This must be a joke. It _had_ to be.

He leaned over Rory and froze in shock. He wasn't breathing! He checked. Neither was Sarah! A wave of horror poured over him. Were they – dead? His bottom lip started to quiver.

Through his confusion, a bolt of sanity struck. Of _course_ they weren't breathing. Neither Sarah or Rory had been breathing for well over a year now. They were vampires. How did you check whether they were, uh, undead or not? They still had blood – and that meant a heart, right? So a pulse. He felt for Rory's wrist. Yes. It was hard to detect, but there was a little flow every now and again. The same with Sarah. So they were alive! Or, well, _not_, but…

That reassured him a little, and calmed him down for when he dashed over to where Benny lay. With great trepidation, he moved close to feel his breathing. And he _was_ breathing. Very faintly, but it was there. Relief flooded through Ethan, and his hyperventilation gradually slowed. He mopped his forehead. The last minute or so of absolute panic had taken their toll on him, coming as they did after the serenity of his expectations.

His regained cool didn't last long, though, as he stood up and tried to work out what to do. His lip trembled again as he hovered in indecision. He just didn't know. How could he help them here, all on his own, so far from everyone? He moved towards them, and then away again, reaching out his hand and then drawing it back again. Should he try and take them out of here? Or bring someone in? It would take too long to go and get Benny's grandma, and the only other person he could ask was Erica, but _she_ could be anywhere. Mostly he just stood still, a distraught expression stuck on his face.

This birthday party was _not_ going well.

As he stood there, unable to decide what to do, he felt something brush his lips. He looked down, and, to his great surprise, found his hand up at his mouth. Pulling it away, he looked at what he was holding. It was a little round white fruit. That was odd. Where had that come from? He glanced around, before lighting his gaze on the branches of the trees. They were laden with these milky-white balls.

But when had he picked it? And, more importantly, _why_? They didn't look very appetising. As he thought this, he became aware again of a pressure on his mouth, but this time it was on his teeth. With a determined jerk on his wayward arm, he removed the fruit from his mouth before he had a chance to bite down. Something that you ate without thinking was rarely good for you. The incident of last Hallowe'en had taught him that. He still couldn't look at Maltesers without getting a dull ache in his stomach. And besides, this fruit seemed to be moving his arm…

He threw the waxy fruit away, and looked down, suddenly understanding what had happened to his friends. The off-white stains around their mouths, and, in Rory's case, a half-chewed example of the fruit confirmed his suspicions. So, the fruit sent you to sleep. Then what?

Ethan dithered again. After a brief scrabbling on the ledge of understanding, he had once more plunged deep into ignorance. How did you wake people up from magical sleeps? He couldn't think of anything other than, uh… He blushed, and glanced from side to side – as if there was anyone else here – before sidling over to where Benny was. He knelt by his head. He didn't think that this would work, and, even if it did, what could he do about Rory and Sarah, but it had to be worth a try.

He leant down and kissed Benny squarely on the mouth. He waited. Nothing. Not even a flicker of life. Well, it had been a bit of a long shot. And he really shouldn't be relying on fairy tales for inspiration. Maybe he should try again, though? Just in case? He puckered up his lips again and –

"Hello, Ethan," said a voice behind him.

* * *

"Erica!" he said, flustered, the blood draining from his face. "It's – uh –"

"Not what it looks like?" she supplied, smirking slightly.

Ethan looked down, coloured, and then looked back up, an unusually determined look in his eye. "No. It's exactly what it looks like."

"What, you taking advantage of an unconscious Benny?" Erica replied, arching an eyebrow.

"Er… well, maybe it's not quite what it looks like…" he mumbled, embarrassed. She laughed, which he was relieved about. Then he remembered the issue at hand.

"Erica, can we talk about this another time? We've got a pretty big problem here…" He gestured to the unconscious trio. Despite himself, a question sprang into his mind, and his head shot up again. "Why are you here, though?"

Erica scowled. "I followed you."

"_Why?_" asked Ethan, incredulous.

"You didn't invite me!" wailed Erica. Ethan was bemused.

"But you would have declined."

"Well, yes, I wouldn't be seen _fully_ dead with you nerds, but if you don't invite me then I can't turn you down," she said, as if this made perfect sense.

Ethan frowned. To him, it really didn't. "But – but –" He trailed off, but mercifully she let the subject drop.

"What's up with them, then?" She grinned, and jerked her head back towards the table. "Been partying too hard?"

Ethan shook his head, serious now. "It's to do with this tree – hey, you know about plants! What is this tree?"

She looked at it, frowning. "I – I really want to take some of the fruit," she said, her eyes glazing over slightly.

"No!" shouted Ethan, grabbing her hand as she reached for a branch. "That's what did it to them."

Erica looked thoughtful, and stepped back. She looked up and down it, and then plucked off one of the leaves. Carefully, she took one of the white bulbs and cracked it open. It was soft and doughy all the way through. She sniffed it with great caution, and then wrinkled up her nose, throwing the two halves away. She paced around the tree, and then frowned. "It can't be…" she murmured.

"What?" said Ethan, watching her with fascination.

"The lotus tree…" Erica breathed.

Ethan frowned. "You mean, like lotus flowers? Aren't they aquatic?"

"No, the lotus _tree_," she said, with some irritation.

Ethan looked at her. "Let's not start _that_ again."

Erica's mouth twitched. "Well, anyway, the lotus is mythical. According to legend, once the fruit of the lotus is eaten, those who eat it never want to leave. The trance is all part of that. It will wear off after a while, but then they will try to eat the fruit again."

"So what do we do?"

"The only thing we can do is deny them access to the fruit. We have to get them away from the trees. Back to Whitechapel. Away from wherever this is."

"How long before they wake up?" said Ethan.

Erica shrugged, and was about to answer, when a groan issued from Sarah.

"Uh… Pretty soon, I'd say…" she said, as the unconscious three began to stir.


	18. Birthday Cards - Part 5

**And close your eyes with holy dread**

"Grab her!" shouted Ethan, as Sarah lurched up from the ground and towards the fruit. "She can't eat any more of the fruit."

"Sorry, Sarah," said Erica, grimacing, before holding her back as she struggled towards the tree. "But the nerd had a point."

"Erica! I _need_ it!" moaned Sarah.

"No!"

Meanwhile, Ethan was having problems of his own as both Rory and Benny woke up and started towards the tree together.

"Uh…" Ethan fairly ineffectually tried to restrain both of them at once. Rory was far too strong for him, and soon pressed past him. While fending off Benny, Ethan stuck out a foot in desperation, which, by lucky accident sent Rory sprawling forwards onto the ground. "Erica – help!"

Sighing, Erica stopped grappling with Sarah. "I don't want to do this, us being friends and all, but, trust me, it's for your own good!" With that, Erica snapped off a branch of the tree and deftly hit Sarah over the head with it. Sarah collapsed to the ground.

"Erica!" said Ethan, shocked.

She looked across at him. "What? You needed a quick solution." Ethan kept staring at her in mild disapproval. "Oh, stop looking at me like that! She'll be _fine_. Now, watch Benny, he's getting away."

Ethan turned to see that Benny had, indeed, slipped from his grasp and was stumbling towards the tree. He dived after him. As he grabbed hold of Benny's leg, he heard a thud behind him, followed by a soft "Ow…" and then a dreamy "Thank you, Erica…" that could only have been Rory. There was another, considerably more vicious, thud that followed this. He winced. Vampires had solid heads, right? Well, Rory did, at least.

Ethan at last managed to force Benny to the ground and keep him still. Erica wandered over. Ethan tried to ignore the blood on the end of the stick. Poor Rory. A glint in her eye, Erica raised the stick a little.

"Want a go?" she asked.

"No!" exclaimed Ethan holding up a hand between Erica and Benny's head. "I can cope with him."

"If you say so," said Erica, coolly. She sprang brightly towards the newly re-unconscious Rory and Sarah. "This is quite good fun!"

Ethan looked at her, frowning. "You clearly don't do this often enough."

She shrugged. "Well, _duh_. That would bring me into regular contact with the loser crew!"

"You followed me…" muttered Ethan.

Narrowing her eyes, Erica changed the subject. "And what are we going to do now? Or are you just going to sit on Benny forever?"

Ethan grimaced. "Well, we've got to get out of here, so – you take Rory and Sarah, and we'll go back to the caves."

"Ugh. That means I'm going to have to touch the little creep, doesn't it?"

"It's either him or Benny," offered Ethan.

"I'll go with what I have," said Erica, with some distaste.

There was a muffled grunt from Benny in response, followed by a renewed bout of flailing.

"Time to go!" said Ethan, standing up and hauling Benny away.

Erica grabbed hold of Sarah firmly, before, rather squeamishly, plucking at Rory's jacket.

"Come on!" said Ethan, exasperated, as Benny continued to struggle against him.

"Are you sure you're coping with him?" asked Erica, after a while, by which time they had passed the abandoned birthday table and were heading towards the river again.

"It's fine!" grunted Ethan, his arms wrapped around Benny's chest. Benny himself was mumbling incoherently, and periodically lashing out or trying to throw himself forwards. Ethan drew to a halt. "But – I need – a – rest," he said, panting.

Just at that moment, Benny seized his chance, and lunged forwards back up the hill towards the tree. He broke free of Ethan's grasp and it looked like he was going to make it –

"Take these," said Erica, curtly, dumping Sarah and Rory at Ethan's feet. She sped after Benny and tackled him.

"Don't hurt him!" called out Ethan, feebly.

Erica rolled her eyes. "Now just stay still – ouch!"

In a frenzy, Benny had taken a swipe at her and had got loose yet again. Again he wrestled him to the ground, and this time, though he strained and struggled, he couldn't free himself. Furious, he spat out a string of words in frustration.

Almost instantly, the horizon shimmered, and, at the far edge, a crack appeared in the sky. It rapidly spread, racing across the perfect blue dome, branching out crazily.

There was a flash of light, and an ominous rumble, and then Benny suddenly went limp in Erica's grip.

Above them, the shattered sky began to darken, and a wind began to rise, not seeming to come from anywhere. Erica looked back fearfully at Ethan.

"We've got to get away! He must have broken the magical connection between here and Whitechapel!" yelled Ethan above the growing tumult, and, taking hold of Sarah and Rory, he began to run towards the caves.

The borders of the reality collapsing before her eyes, Erica picked up the floppy form of Benny and threw him over her shoulder. "At least it makes him easier to carry…"

She ran after Ethan, and they were both soon hurrying along by the river, which had taken a decidedly more sinister appearance. Instead of running smooth and clear, it now frothed and foamed, lapping over the banks.

The air was filled with a terrible moan as the long crack widened. Ethan and Erica stared up, terrified, as a gap appeared in the centre of the sky. It was an inky purple, and seemed to suck everything towards it.

"That must be what lies between realities!" shouted Ethan, the din growing ever louder. Despite his fear, he couldn't keep the curiosity and wonder out of his voice.

They had reached the waterfall. Ethan looked up at the waterfall, taking in the long, graceful spiral staircase up to the portal. Above that, he saw the shining crack drawing ever closer to the caves. He knew, instinctively that, were the crack to touch both sides, then something very, very bad would happen.

He gazed at Erica. "We're never going to make it in time!" He put a foot on the lowest stair, but as he did so, the earth shook and the delicate set of stairs broke into thousands of pieces. "No!" he shrieked.

Defeated by this last catastrophe, Ethan dropped to his knees in despair. He bowed his head and waited to be swallowed up by the darkness. Well, he had said that he didn't want to be sixteen…

He felt a hand grip his collar. He looked up at Erica, whose face was set defiantly. "We're not dying today, nerd. Who dies at a birthday party? Keep a tight hold on those two."

With that, she sprang upwards, hauling all of them into the air. They burst through the freezing waterfall, and up, level with the mouth of the cave. With a final effort she flew through the portal, just as the crack was about to touch it. They passed through, the crack completed its journey from one side to the other, and the whole of the strange, perfect paradise was lost into a blizzard of fragmented pieces.

* * *

_Thump. Thump, Thump, Thump. Thump._

Erica groaned, and blinked back into consciousness. She was lying face down in slushy mud. Yuck. Getting up uncertainly, she looked about. Sarah and the others were all lying around her, out cold. They were in the clearing outside the entrance to the caves.

How had they got here? She rubbed her temples. Who knew? Magic. She winced. She'd saved them. It felt kinda good, to be a hero. Heroine. Whatever. Not as much fun as being bad, but – OK.

She looked back at the blacked-out group. Maybe she should just go… She stepped over the prone Ethan, and carefully picked her next –

A hand shot out and grabbed her ankle. She looked down. Ethan looked up. He smiled gratefully at her.

"Thank you," he said. She nodded, and he slowly stood up. She nodded at the middle of the clearing.

"That table came back. Pretty much intact. Balloons and everything."

Ethan turned. He shrugged. "I guess that it was never a solid part of that reality." Around them, the other three were starting to come to their senses, and looking rather confused, and then sheepish as they did so.

"Uh… Ethan?" said Sarah. "I…"

"What happened…?" groaned Rory, rubbing his head. He looked at his hand. "Why am I bleeding?" He shrugged, and then licked his hand. "I taste good!"

"Thanks, Rory, for managing to introduce a whole new level of _gross_ to the world," said Benny, getting to his feet. He looked between Ethan and Erica and blushed, ashamed. "I don't remember much – did I do something _bad_?"

"Well…" said Ethan, careful not to hurt Benny's feelings –

"Yes," replied Erica, not much bothered about them.

Benny blushed furiously. Then he looked at Erica. "Why are you here?"

"Something about not being able to turn an invitation down..." said Ethan.

Benny frowned. "Have you ever read _E__mma_?"

Erica smiled slightly. "I'm surprised that _you_ have."

Benny flushed again, and went silent.

"I guess the whole birthday party thing is off…" said Sarah, sadly. "I'm sorry, Ethan."

Ethan smiled tiredly. "Really, you just come to expect these things in Whitechapel. But I really am grateful that you went to so much trouble."

He turned back to the table, a wry grin on his face. "Besides, we've still got cake. It might be a bit squashed, and have fallen through a couple of dimensions, but I'm sure it's still edible. How about we hold my party out here?"

He caught Erica's eye. "And you're _all_ invited."

She smiled thinly, and went to shake her head. Halfway through the gesture, though, she changed her mind. "I should think so." She hesitated. "Happy Birthday."

The others nodded in enthusiastic agreement.

"Happy Birthday, Ethan!"


	19. Episode 4 - Change Me Back

**Episode 5. Thanks to all those who have reviewed so far, and I hope that you and others will continue to do so, as they are greatly appreciated.**

* * *

Change Me Back

* * *

**I am silver and exact**

Ethan hefted his bag over his shoulder as he left his locker and strolled towards his next class. He glanced at his watch, and wondered why they got such a long time between lessons. It surely didn't take that long for people to move between rooms. Maybe it was the teachers that really needed the break…

As he thought that, he was passed by a number of members of staff, all dully clutching onto their coffee mugs and trailing, semi-dazed, towards the staff room. Yes, thought Ethan, wryly. It was coffee time. And they'd only had one lesson so far that day. He shook his head, smiling to himself.

Well, at least it gave him time to –

With a sudden jerk, he was dragged through the door that he had paused beside. It happened so fast that he didn't even have a chance to cry out.

* * *

With a slight sucking sound, the pair of them broke off the kiss. Ethan was blushing furiously, but also trying not to grin with delight. "Benny!" he hissed.

"What?" said Benny, putting on an innocent expression that almost broke Ethan's composure.

"You've got to stop grabbing me and kissing me like this!" he said, gesturing to the toilet cubicle that they were in.

Benny looked affronted. "Firstly, E, _why_? Secondly, _me_? By my reckoning, in the grabbing and kissing stakes it's currently nineteen to seventeen in _your_ favour." Benny considered. "Well, with three draws." He considered again, as Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Well, what with this time it's nineteen to eighteen."

Ethan raised his eyebrow a little higher, and then, with a slight quirk of his mouth, batted his eyelashes at Benny in a jokey way. Benny rolled his eyes and pulled Ethan towards him again.

"Fine… Nineteen all it is."

After they broke apart again, Ethan, though rather red, and trying hard to suppress a grin, soon forced his face into a more serious cast.

"But one of these days, B, we're going to end up in a cupboard or somewhere and there'll be someone else there. Or we'll get found out some other way."

Benny raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. "You're one to talk. Who was it that let Erica know?"

"That was _different_ – and she promised not tell anyone else!" insisted Ethan. "But that's exactly what I mean. We need to seriously talk about this – if we are going to tell other people – and who – and when – and –"

Through this speech, Ethan had become more and more animated, waving his arms around with a nervous energy. Benny caught Ethan's wrist, bringing him to a halt. He smiled.

"It's OK, Ethan. We will."

"Oh. Good. Well –"

"But not right now."

Ethan looked confused, and then annoyed. "Benny! We can't put it off –"

Benny shook his head. "That's not what I men at all. I think we should have this conversation – I _want_ to have it – but can we not have it _now_? Could we maybe talk about it in some place that _isn't_ a toilet?"

Ethan glanced from side to side. "Ah. Good point. A bit, um, 'ick'?"

"Just a little." Benny looked thoughtful. "I suppose it gives it the frisson of cultural and historical resonance, but, it is, in the end, a school toilet – though admittedly one that nobody seems to use."

Ethan nodded absently, and then glanced up, baffled. "Sorry, _what_? Since when did you use 'frisson' in a sentence – since when did _anyone_?"

Benny blinked. "I read," he said evenly.

Ethan smiled. "This is an unfamiliar side of Benny… I think we might be losing you from nerd-dom."

"You say that like I'm two completely separate people!"

"Maybe we all are," said Ethan, in an enigmatic tone of voice.

There was a pause. Benny looked unimpressed. "Shut up, Ethan." They both dissolved into laughter.

"So," said Ethan, recovering himself, "what do you say to us talking about it this evening?"

"If you want. Anywhere you want to suggest?"

Ethan thought. "What if we go to the movies?"

Benny looked bemused. "OK, you've lost me there. Are we having a separate conversation that I don't know about, or…?"

"No, no," smiled Ethan, "I meant that we could maybe go and see one of those really bad movies that nobody watches, sit in the back row and talk about it there."

Benny frowned, and then his mouth twitched. "You mean … like a date?"

Ethan blushed. "If you want to put it like that."

"You're taking me out to the movies?"

"Specifically, a _bad_ movie. And you can buy your own ticket."

"Huh," Benny pouted, "some boyfriend you are!"

Ethan grinned, hesitated, and then lunged forwards –

The outside door opened. "Ethan? Benny? Are you in here?" came Rory's voice.

Ethan froze in the motion of kissing Benny, and almost overbalanced, his eyes bulging. Benny quickly, and silently, put a hand against Ethan's chest to stop him crashing into him. Gently, he pushed him back the other way. Ethan toppled backwards, hitting his head on the opposite wall of the cubicle. "Ouch!"

"Er – hi, Rory!" called out Benny.

"Why are you both in there?" asked Rory from the other side of the door.

"Uh…" started Ethan, thinking quickly. "There was – something in the toilet cistern. But we've got it under control. And Benny's sorting it out – with – magic."

He glared at Benny, who frowned, not understanding.

"With _magic_!" hissed Ethan under his breath.

Benny's eyes widened. "Oh… Yes. Get back in there you – weird – rat – snake – thing!" He waved a hand, sending purple and orange sparks flickering over the top of the door. "There – done!" He unbolted the door, and smiled confidently at Rory. "Just keeping it contained!"

"OK," said Rory, cheerfully accepting what they said. He peered past them, fascinated. "What did it look like?"

"Uh –" began Ethan, making something up.

"Was it edible?" interrupted Rory, his mind skipping past description to what was, for him, the most important aspect of any animal.

"I have no idea…" said Benny, warily.

"And I guess we'll never know," said Ethan, turning Rory around and walking with him out of the bathroom.

"Twenty – nineteen!" whispered Benny in Ethan's ear.

"What was that?" said Rory.

"Nothing!" said Ethan, quickly.

* * *

"That film was _so _sad…" said Sarah tearfully, as she, Ethan, Benny, Rory and Erica left the cinema. "The way that the 'cellist never knew that her dog was trying to tell her where her dead great-uncle was buried until it was too late and she'd moved to Argentina!"

"Yeah…" said Ethan, slowly, patting Sarah on the shoulder sympathetically. "There, there." He passed her a paper tissue.

"-'nk you," she sniffed, choked up. She wiped her nose. Ethan and Benny exchanged glances behind her back.

"And why did we see that film again?" asked Rory.

"Well, when Sarah came across us outside, she was going to see it," said Ethan.

"That was really lucky meeting you!" said Sarah, having dried her eyes. "Why were you here?"

"Uh, we had planned to see a film, and we'd seen all the others," explained Benny. "And wasn't it just great to find you and Erica here!" He said the last part through gritted teeth, but the two girls were too caught up in the effects of the film.

Rory frowned. "Then why did _I_ see it?"

Ethan shrugged. "Maybe it's because you follow Erica around in a way that's _very_ slightly creepy?" he suggested.

Rory looked thoughtful. "Oh, yeah…"

They had arrived at Ethan's house. He glanced up at the lights. "Mum and Dad have gone to bed. You can come in, if you like…?" Despite saying this, he yawned visibly.

"No, it's OK," said Sarah. "We'll leave you to get to bed."

"You and Benny," said Erica, raising an eyebrow teasingly at the pair. Ethan glared at her, or at least tried to, if he wasn't already feigning tiredness.

Sarah nodded, oblivious. "Yeah. I forget that you two need sleep. And," she licked her lips "we need something to eat. Coming, Erica?"

"Of course."

"Can I come?" asked Rory, enthusiastically. In response, Erica flew off. "Come back!" cried Rory, flashing away after her. Sarah shrugged, glanced back at Ethan and Benny, waved goodbye, and then followed.

Ethan looked over at Benny. "Coming in?"

Benny shook his head and grinned. "You took me out – why don't you come back to mine?"

Ethan rolled his eyes. "But it's so far away!"

Smiling, Benny crossed the road and unlocked the front door. He motioned Ethan inside.

* * *

"Are we sure we won't disturb your grandma?" Ethan called from the living room.

"She always takes her hearing aids out at night. And her teeth. And her glasses." Benny thought. "In fact, she pretty much loses goes down to just two senses at night – and her sense of smell is awful, too."

Ethan laughed. From the kitchen, Benny heard him get up and start walking through. "I'm sorry that we couldn't talk earlier," he heard him say. "We bumped into the others, and we couldn't do anything about it."

"We could have held hands," said Benny, over his shoulder.

Ethan smirked as he sat down on the edge of the kitchen table. "I think that Sarah might have noticed that. She was sitting between us."

"Yeah. Because we were keeping Erica and Rory as far apart as possible."

"Mmm. Now _that_ would have made that film more interesting." Smiling at the thought, Ethan pushed himself up from the table and went to stand behind Benny. He put one arm around him and rested his chin on his shoulder. He looked down at the creamy red mixture in the pot that Benny was stirring. "What are you making – tomato soup?"

Before Benny could reply, Ethan dipped his finger into the liquid. He licked it. He frowned. "It doesn't taste much like tomato. Not bad, though."

"Ethan!" cried a horrified Benny.

Ethan looked confused. "What? My hands are clean!"

"That wasn't soup!"

"What was it?" asked Ethan. Then his face fell. "Oh."

"It's a new potion I'm testing out. And now you've just eaten some!" Benny twisted around and scanned a surprised Ethan up and down.

"It looked so nice, though!" protested Ethan.

"Well, not every magic potion can be brown, gloopy, and disgusting."

Ethan paled. "What does it do?"

Benny held up the spell book. The top half of the page was missing. "I don't know. I was going to test it on a mouse or something and then make a note."

Nervously, Ethan ran his hands over his body. "Nothing seems to have changed. I haven't grown horns or a tail. Or scales." He looked hopefully at Benny. "Maybe it didn't work?"

Benny frowned. Nothing seemed different about Ethan. "Maybe…" Ethan's stomach suddenly gurgled loudly. He blushed.

"I'm sure I'll be fine. Half of your potions don't work first time." His stomach gurgles again. "I had a lot of popcorn at the cinema!" he said, insistently, as Benny looked more and more concerned. Benny didn't seem convinced, but, as the minutes ticked on and the pair waited in anxious silence for something to happen, and nothing did, he relaxed a bit.

Ethan yawned again, and this time it was genuine. He rubbed his eyes. "I think I'd better be going home. I'm really – tired…" He yawned widely.

Benny nodded and grabbed his coat. "Come on, then. I'll go with you. And you're to wake me up and let me know if anything happens during the night."


	20. Change Me Back - Part 2

**I have no preconceptions**

"Benny!" came a shout from downstairs.

Benny jerked awake with a grunt, cracking his head into the cold glass of the window pane. He grimaced, groaned, and found himself staring blearily out into the misty spring morning. Rubbing his sore head, he leaned away from the window and sat up straight.

He was sitting on his computer chair, his spell book in his lap, and his phone on the window ledge in front of him. From here, he could look across to Ethan's house. He'd been sitting there ever since he'd left Ethan in bed the night before, frantically poring over his spell book in an, ultimately vain, effort to discover just what the spell might do.

He'd sat at the window in order to see if anything had changed at Ethan's house during the night. He'd tried to stay awake, but he had no idea exactly when he'd finally succumbed to his tiredness. Nervously, he checked his phone. Nothing. No messages or texts. He allowed himself a small smile of relief. Maybe nothing had happened. Or… maybe Ethan was no longer in a condition in which he could contact him – maybe he was just a pink blob – or – or –

"Benny!" called his grandma, knocking at his bedroom door. "You're going to be late for school!"

He glanced over at his clock and winced. He should have left at least a quarter of an hour ago. And he wasn't even dressed yet… He looked down. Well, in actual fact, he hadn't even _un_dressed from the previous night. Pushing himself to his feet, he hurried over to his wardrobe. He was going to have to get dressed _really_ fast.

Benny had just pulled up his jeans (fortunately) when his exasperated grandmother, fed up with waiting, threw open his bedroom door. Rapidly turning crimson, Benny embarrassedly threw on a fresh t-shirt to cover himself.

Sighing at the sight of her half-dressed grandson, his grandmother shook her head. "Come on, Benny!"

Nodding, abashed, he grabbed his top from the day before. He sniffed it gingerly. It smelled of yesterday – of popcorn and Ethan. Two of his favourite things! But, oddly, they didn't seem to mix well when left overnight on clothes.

Aware of his grandmother's tapping foot, he put it on anyway; he dashed from the room, and then the house, pausing only to grab a slice of toast from the kitchen, as fast as he could.

Rolling her eyes, Mrs Weir started to tidy the messier areas of Benny's room. Coming across the open spell book on the window ledge, she frowned down at it. Her face becoming taught, she took the book downstairs.

* * *

Benny hopped from foot to foot impatiently as he waited for someone to open the door. He rang the bell again. "Come on, come on, come _on_…" he muttered.

After what felt like an age, Ethan's front door swung open. Jane looked coldly up at him. "He's not here, Benny. You're too late."

"Oh. Is he – is he OK?"

Jane laughed. "You're not that essential to him that he's unable to cope with walking to school on his own. He was a bit disappointed, but it's not like he broke down when you didn't arrive. I mean, he doesn't need a babysitter _all _the time."

"So he's gone to school?" pressed Benny.

Jane nodded, as if Benny was being particularly dense. "Yes… Where else would he have gone?"

Benny nodded. "You're sure he was alright?" he asked, anxiously.

"_Yes. _You seem to have an awfully high opinion of your effect on him, today, Benny."

"And there was nothing strange about him that you noticed?"

Jane shook her head. "No. Just the normal, regular Ethan. If anything, twice as normal as usual." She raised an eyebrow. "I think it's you that needs watching."

Benny smiled, not paying attention. "Thanks, Jane…" he said, absently, before dashing off towards school.

Rolling her eyes, Jane closed the door. Was it her, or was Benny getting weirder by the day? In all honesty, it was pretty hard to tell…

* * *

Benny hurried into school, glancing at his watch. Not quite late. Yet. As he panted through the glass doors, he slowed and scanned about at the gaggle of students. He couldn't see Ethan anywhere. He leaned up onto the tips of his toes to look over the top of the crowd. Still no Ethan. He could see Sarah and Benny at their lockers, though, and he weaved his way across the hall, soon popping up, breathless, next to them.

"Have either of you seen Ethan?" he asked, leaning on Ethan's locker, his attention mostly diverted to worriedly scanning around.

Sarah and Rory looked at each other and shrugged. "No, not since last night."

"But _you_ always know where he is," commented Rory. "You walked to school with him, surely?"

"Well," replied Benny, becoming even more concerned, "Not this morning. I missed him."

"Get up after he'd gone?" said Erica, strolling up behind them. "Poor Benny. All alone." She looked at the others. "Morning, Sarah." She just wrinkled her nose at Rory, saying nothing to him. This still left him in a kind of daze.

Smiling faintly at Rory's state, Sarah looked curiously at Benny. "Why are you so worried about him today?"

Benny flushed. "He – uh – might have accidentally swallowed a potion…" He looked away, shamefaced.

"_Benny!_" groaned Sarah.

"It was sort-of _his_ fault! He just came along and tasted it!" protested Benny.

"Whatever," said Erica dismissively. "What's going to happen to the little nerd, anyway?"

Benny shrugged. "I don't know – it could be nothing. I was making it to test on something, because the description has been ripped out." He reached into his bag for his spell book. "Look…" He froze, and then scrabbled around desperately. "Oh. Must still be at home…"

He paled. "Grandma will _kill_ me if she finds out I've been making potions again."

"So what could have happened to Ethan?" asked Sarah. "Could he have been changed into something?"

"I don't –"

The conversation was interrupted by an ear-splitting shriek from among the students milling around. Then there was another, and another, as people hurried away.

Out of the confusion scurried a white rat with a dark patch of fur on its head. It headed straight for them, as squeamish boys and girls jumped out its way. Unconcerned, in fact, even pleased, Rory bent on one knee and scooped it up.

"Hello, little fellow. Don't you look delicious!" he murmured. He held it up to his mouth as the others closed in around him. He stopped and looked down at them. "What? I didn't have any breakfast!"

"Well, first, _eww_, second, in _public_, and third…" Sarah nodded her head towards a trembling Benny.

Rory looked at the rat he was holding. "No _way_! Benny turned Ethan into a _rat?"_ As if in reply, the rat squeaked forlornly. "But that's impossible – I mean, where would all the rest of Ethan go?"

They shrugged, and stared, fascinated, at the rat. Then they heard Ethan's voice. "Guys? Hello?"

"No _way_!" exclaimed Rory, again, "Benny turned Ethan into a _talking_ rat!" The other three continued to stare at it in fascination.

Ethan leaned over Rory's shoulder. "What's with the rat?" They all turned and stared at him.

"Ethan!" shouted Benny, relieved.

"No _way"_ said Rory, yet again, "Benny turned Ethan into a _ventriloquist_. With a rat!"

"Uh, Rory, that's not quite what happened…" said Benny. "He was just speaking when we were looking at the rat. The rat has nothing to do with it."

"Oh," said Rory, disappointed. "So nothing happened?"

"I wouldn't say that," said Ethan.

Rory frowned. "Hang on; you definitely didn't move your mouth that time! You can't say that Ethan isn't a ventriloquist now."

"Ethan isn't a ventriloquist," said a voice behind them.

They turned.


	21. Change Me Back - Part 3

**The eye of a little god**

_A couple of hours, or so, earlier:_

The drowsy numbness slipped from Ethan's mind as he gently stirred out of sleep. Keeping his eyes closed, he lay very still, and listened to his breathing. He didn't feel very well. He had an awful headache and a nagging pain in his stomach. Was this the after effect of that potion? Well, it could have been worse. For all he knew, it _was_ worse than that, but at this point he was feeling rather too fragile to even explore that possibility. Better just to lie quietly and hope that it would wear off.

He concentrated on relaxing. His alarm hadn't gone off, so it must still be early. Maybe it was early enough to try to go back to sleep. His bed was warm, cosy, and comfortable. That's what he'd focus on. Not this ill feeling. He gave a little sigh and snuggled his head a little deeper into his pillow. He listened to the regular quiet sighs of the house. It was almost as if it breathed in and out. He felt a warm breeze play across his lips and face. He smiled. That was nice. Maybe the so far cold spring was turning the corner towards summer.

After a while, though, he felt as awake as ever. Something about his bed didn't feel right. It was like he was lying on it for the first time, and wasn't used to its curves and dips. He shifted his body slightly. As he did so, he felt his knee brush against something in the bed. That was odd…

He moved his foot, and, through the hole in his sock, his big toe hit on something solid and … foot-like. A tremor ran through him. Was there someone else there? Who? Or, perhaps, _what_? He was too afraid of the possible consequences to open his eyes. And that breeze on his face, and the sighing of the house – that was someone as well. His mind flew back to the previous night. He'd mistakenly taken the potion, and then Benny had brought him home and helped him to bed. What had happened then? He hadn't –they hadn't - ?

No. That was something that he would have remembered. He _definitely_ would have remembered _that_. All he remembered was getting into bed – and Benny had just gone home again, hadn't he? There was no way that he would have stayed the night. And not in his bed. That would be wrong. Although, of course, he reasoned, if it _was_ Benny, that would be more reassuring than if it wasn't. But it still could be nothing. Just his imagination, putting together sleepy tricks on his senses. There might be nobody else in the bed at all. No-one sleeping just a few inches away. No-one that might –

Tentatively, eyes screwed tightly shut in the hope that it was all in his head, Ethan extended a hand. For a glorious moment it sailed through empty air, giving Ethan hope that he hadn't done something that he would regret. And then it landed on something soft and warm. Oh God… Ethan thought, his heart plummeting. Mustering all his courage, knowing that he'd better face up to whatever it was that might have happened, Ethan forced his eyes open.

A pair of brown eyes flickered open stared back at him over the crumpled pillow, curtained with a shock of dark hair. Ethan stared, his eyes bulging, and mouth dry. "Uh…" he gurgled inarticulately.

The boy opposite smiled dazedly, and then delicately removed Ethan's arm from his shoulder, before mirroring exactly the look of stunned surprise. _Exactly_, down to every last crease and dimple.

Ethan stared at Ethan in horror.

* * *

Each Ethan eyed the other warily. There was a long pause as they both processed the information.

"Aargh!" they both cried, springing away from each other, and simultaneously toppling out of the bed and onto the floor with identical thumps.

They picked themselves up and stood looking at each other over the narrow bed. Before either one of them could speak, though, there was the sound of movement from the landing. Instinctively, the Ethan on the far side of the room ducked behind the bed, just in time, as Ethan's mum opened the door.

"Are you alright, Ethan?" she asked, flicking on the bedroom light.

He smiled weakly back at her, hoping desperately that she wouldn't see the shadow of his double. "I'm fine, Mum, I just fell out of bed after a bad dream."

She nodded, and glanced across at the clock. 5:45. "Well, dear, if you're sure that you're OK, then you go back to bed and try and sleep some more."

He nodded obediently and got back under the covers. "Night, Mum!" he said, as she turned off the light and closed the door.

After a moment or so, there was a movement in the bed beside him, and he felt the other Ethan slip into bed beside him.

"Hey!" hissed Ethan, springing up and switching on the bedside light.

"What?" said the other. "I'm supposed to lie on the floor until morning?"

Ethan shook his head. "We need to –"

"- talk about this," finished Ethan. "I know." He put his finger to his lips. "But _quietly_. We don't want anyone catching us again."

Ethan smiled wanly. "Don't worry. I'll be able to say I was talking to myself."

Smiling at his own joke, the other Ethan stood up as well. They faced off in the middle of the room. One walked slowly around the other, taking in every detail. They were exactly the same, even down to the hole in their socks.

When he had finished his circuit, Ethan frowned. "So we're the same… But – how – why – have you got the same clothes as me? OK, I can sort of understand the biological doubling, but copying things that aren't part of me? It makes no sense."

The other one shrugged. "Would you have preferred to find me in your bed with _no_ clothes on?"

The first Ethan grimaced. "Actually, on second thoughts, I'm fine with the logical inconsistency…"

"Anyway," said the second, "why am _I _the copy? It could just as easily be you."

Ethan opened and closed his mouth, searching for an answer. "Well – uh – have you got my personality, my memories…?"

"Do you?"

They stared warily at each other.

"What's my favourite colour?" shot one.

"Blue-green. What did I want to be when I was five?"

"A train driver. What did I want to be before that?"

Ethan blushed. "A train…"

"When did I first meet Rory?"

"In the school playground when I was eight. He'd just moved to Whitechapel and it was his first day. He'd forgotten his lunch, so Benny and I shared ours with him."

"That started a trend…" grinned Ethan. The other one smiled.

"Yeah…" He narrowed his eyes. "What happened _last_ night?"

"Benny and I went to the cinema, met the others, came back to his house, I accidentally had some of the potion, Benny saw me back home, I went up to bed and fell asleep. Then someone kicked my foot, I woke up, and _you_ were there."

They both nodded. "So …. Satisfied with the catechism?"

They nodded again. "We definitely have had the same experiences. Are we the same person, then?"

"Well, we're both independent, right? We move and think differently. I can't control you, and you can't control me?"

"Excepting the degree to which we around governed by having the same personality, I agree – but we've only just become independent."

"Where there was one Ethan, there are now two?"

"And neither is more the 'real' Ethan than the other."

"Right… Does this make your head hurt?"

The other nodded. This is going to be an odd day, thought Ethan.

"I know," replied the other.

Ethan stared at him. "Did you –"

"- read your mind? No, but we _are_ going to think similarly."

"What now? We wait, I suppose, and tell the others."

"Mmm. This should come as a surprise to them."

Rather awkwardly, the two Ethan's sat down on the edge of the bed and waited for the clock to tick a little closer to morning.

* * *

Eventually, the sounds of their parents stirring gave them the signal to start the day.

"Obviously we can't be seen together," pointed out Ethan.

Ethan nodded. "Not by Mum and Dad, no."

"And if we want to save money, we'll keep Jane in the dark, too."

Ethan nodded and went over to the cupboard. "I don't have two sets of everything."

"I know."

Ethan rolled his eyes. "_Yes_. But I've got some very similar jeans. We'll just have to swap jumpers or something."

"For what?" asked Ethan.

"Breakfast?" suggested the other one. "I don't intend going hungry."

"No. Two mouths to feed, and all that."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Eating for two. There really are lots of opportunities for puns in this situation, aren't there?"

Ethan nodded. "Yep. Now, I'm going to have the first shower. See you in a bit."

"I'd bet on it…"

* * *

A while later, Ethan was waiting in the cubicle from the day before. He glanced at his watch. Where was he? After a moment, there was a tentative rap on the door. He unbolted it, and let himself in.

"What kept you?" he hissed.

"I waited and waited for Benny, but he never showed up. Have you got the rat?"

Ethan nodded, and patted his wriggling bag. "Right here. One of the few that Rory hasn't eaten yet. This should clear the hall."

"OK, well, they should be here in a minute. You go out, and, when the others are together, let the rat out."

"I know, I know! It _is_ my plan."

The other Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"Sort of…" said Ethan. "Well, two minutes after you hear the screams, you come up from the other side. If this is going to happen, we may as well have some fun with it."

Ethan nodded. "Good luck!"

Ethan left the toilets, and pressed himself against a bank of lockers. Yes, there Benny was, heading towards Rory and Sarah. He knelt down and undid his bag. The rat scampered free.

Amid the confusion and rather unnecessary shrieking, Ethan calmly made his way across the hall to where the other four were staring fascinatedly at the rat.

He leaned over Rory's shoulder and feigned surprise. "What's with the rat?"

Opposite him, the other Ethan walked silently over the now deserted hall, and, while the others listened to Rory's confused theories on the rat, and Ethan, and ventriloquism, positioned himself directly behind Benny.

Ethan smiled. There was his cue.

"Ethan isn't a ventriloquist."


	22. Change Me Back - Part 4

**I think it is part of my heart**

The four of them turned towards Ethan. Then they turned back towards the other Ethan. Then they did it again.

Ethan waited patiently. So did Ethan.

"Er…" said Sarah, "… Hi?"

"Oh, great, now there are two of them…" muttered Erica.

Benny just stared alternately at them, stunned into a rare silence.

"Which is the real Ethan?" asked Rory, confused. His frown deepened. "Wait! More importantly, which is the _evil_ one?"

Ethan smiled. "Neither of us is evil, Rory."

"That's just what the evil one _would_ say!"

Rolling his eyes, the other one spoke. "Neither of us is evil, Rory."

Rory spun around. "But – but – now you're _both_ evil!"

"No, Rory," said Ethan, trying to explain. "There's only the same amount of evil in me as there was before, only now there are two of me. Does that make sense?"

Slowly, all four of them shook their heads. On the other side of the group, so did Ethan. "I really didn't explain that well."

Sarah smiled weakly. "It's OK, Ethan, we're all just trying to get over the idea of there being an evil part of you. What would happen: 'Yes, of course I'll do your laundry, but I'll only iron one leg of each pair of trousers!' It would be ridiculous."

Ethan laughed. "Well, you can be safe knowing that neither one of us is overwhelmingly evil like that! We're both exactly the same as I was – only it's like there are two Ethan's instead of one."

"You're completely separate people?" asked Erica, intrigued.

"Except for having shared memories and experiences right until we woke up this morning," explained Ethan, nodding. "We are, I suppose, very similar, but not _one_ person inside two bodies."

"We are one person who is now two people," said the other Ethan, walking around the circle to stand next to himself.

"You know," said Benny, at long last breaking out of his stupefied daze, "the more you try to explain it, the less clear it gets."

Admitting that with a co-ordinated nod, the two Ethans began to pace up and down as they continued to talk about the situation.

"As far as we can tell, there is no 'stem' Ethan –"

"- or, if there is, it is impossible to tell which one of us it is."

"So –"

The pair of them were interrupted by a groan from Rory, who clutched at his head. The other five looked at him in confusion.

"Oh," said Benny, understanding. He looked back at the Ethans. "You keep crossing over. He can't keep track." He paused. "Actually _I_ can't keep track of which of you is which."

"It doesn't matter!" protested an Ethan.

Sarah held up a hand. "Actually, Ethan –" she hesitated "- Ethans?" She frowned. "- Guys? Whatever." She considered for a long while, the others waiting. "You. It would really help if we could tell you apart."

Benny looked thoughtful. "There really is nothing different?"

They shook their heads. "Freckles, belly button, birthmarks –" started one.

"- the full works, all the same," finished the other.

"It would be a step towards less weird if you stopped doing that…" muttered Erica.

The Ethans blushed. "We can't help it. We think the same!"

They looked back at Benny, who had his head bent and eyes closed. Suddenly he looked up. "I know! We'll _make_ a difference."

Both Ethans looked warily at Benny. "No, I don't think that that's a good idea!" protested Ethan, as Benny started to murmur a spell.

"Magic got us into this!" pointed out Ethan.

"Relax!" said Benny, finishing the spell. A green light flew from his hand to the left hand Ethan, who immediately put his hand to his face.

"I've lost a nose, or an ear, or something, haven't I?" he moaned.

Ethan turned to look at him. "No… You've gone blonde."

"Yes!" said Benny, clenching his fist in triumph and opening his eyes. The others looked at him. "I mean, I _totally_ knew that that was going to work…" he said, blushing.

"Mmm," said the brown haired Ethan, looking closely at his now blonde double.

"That is _very_ blonde, isn't it," teased Erica. "Almost – yellow!"

Ethan went crimson, clashing somewhat with his new hair. "Well, I hope it helps –"

"Why are you not in class?" cut in Principal Hicks, "And, Mr Morgan, I thought that _you_ of all people should know that dyeing your hair is against school rules!"

Blonde Ethan turned. So did regular Ethan. Principal Hicks almost dropped his coffee cup.

"Uh – this is – uh –" stuttered Ethan, desperately trying to think of a plausible explanation for him having a previously unknown twin.

"Ethan's cousin," supplied Benny. "Isn't the family resemblance strong?"

"He's visiting from, uh –" started Ethan, his imagination failing him again.

"Quebec!" interjected Rory.

Blonde Ethan glared at Rory, but smiled confidently at Principal Hicks. "Mais oui, j'habite à Montréal. Uhhh… Je pense Montcalm était bon, mais Général Wolfe était trés … chanceux!" Ethan desperately scrabbled amongst the vestiges of his half-remembered French. "Oû est la piscine?" he finished, clumsily.

"Er, yes…" said Principal Hicks, somewhat thrown by the rapid, if inconsistent, stream of French. He addressed the other Ethan. "Does he not speak English?"

"I do," said Ethan, in a heavy accent. "But it is not the language I … I grew up with."

"I see. Good, good. I didn't catch your name…?" said the principal.

"Eth –" started Ethan, before catching the warning looks of the others, and despairingly dredging up a name that started with 'Eth', "-elred." He blushed furiously. "Ethelred!" he said again, his voice rising in pitch.

"Well, that's – unusual. Well, you'd better be getting along to class, now. Ethan will show you."

He nodded to them all, and wandered off towards his office.

Once he was gone, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close…" muttered Sarah.

"It's lucky that he's so unobservant," commented Erica. "I bet I could bite him and he wouldn't even –" She stopped to see them all looking at her. "_What_? It's just a comparison!"

Rory looked across at the blonde Ethan. "That was a _terrible_ display of French."

Ethan shrugged. "You were the one that had me come from Quebec! And I thought that the accent was pretty good, actually!"

Rory looked at him disbelievingly. "Your accent was _appalling_."

Ethan smiled "Exactly. It was, therefore, perfectly convincing as a Quebecois accent."

Rory shook his head, his linguistic sensibilities offended.

Benny raised an eyebrow at Ethan. "_Ethelred_? That was pretty … ill-advised. Because he's not going to forget Ethan's cousin if he's called Ethelred."

"Well, I wasn't ready!" complained Ethan.

Sarah smiled. "Well, let's hope it fools everyone else."

Benny nodded. "There's nothing we can do about the two of you right now. You're just going to have to wait out the day."

Erica glanced at her watch. "We really should be getting to class now. What if another teacher sees me with you guys?" She turned to Sarah. "Come on."

Sarah picked up her bag. "Good luck, you two!"

Rory raised a hand. "Uh – guys?"

Sarah turned back. "What is it?"

"This rat, then, is nothing to do with the spell?"

Blonde Ethan shook his head. "No. It's just a regular rat we used to clear the corridor. Why?"

Rory grinned. "So I can keep it?"

"What, as a pet?" asked Ethan, confused. "If you like, I guess…"

"No, no," said Rory, shutting it in his locker. "For lunch!"

With a disgusted look, the others shuffled slightly away from him.

Erica put her bag over her shoulder at them and smirked. "See you later, Ethan, Benny, _Ethan_." Her eye passed over Rory without stopping and she walked off, Sarah close at her heels.

Rory frowned. "How come she doesn't treat you two – three – with disdain?"

Benny glanced at an Ethan and put an arm around Rory's shoulder sympathetically as they sauntered towards their first class. "Mysterious are the ways of woman, my friend."

"Amen," intoned Ethan and Ethan solemnly, before cracking into identical smiles.


	23. Change Me Back - Part 5

**But it flickers**

Ethan threw his bag down moodily as he sat down at the table next to Sarah.

"What's up, Ethel?" she said, smirking slightly as she said it.

"_That_," he grumbled. "Ha ha." He scowled. "Benny and Rory have been going on about that all morning. It doesn't seem to lose its humour for them. Even _he_ smiles when they say it." Muttering darkly, he indicated where Ethan and the other two were walking up to them.

"You mean _you_. Well, they always say that you should be able to laugh at yourself."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Yes, but it becomes less of a critical and evaluative exercise when 'you' and 'yourself' aren't the same person! I was so stupid choosing that name!"

"Don't beat yourself up over it," said Sarah. "Uh – literally or metaphorically!" she said, hurriedly, as the other Ethan reached the table.

"Ethel," said Benny, nodding a greeting, and failing to cover a snigger. Ethan tried to keep a straight face. The other Ethan only ground his teeth.

"How's school with two Ethans?" asked Sarah, trying to change the subject.

"Great!" said Rory. "Now Benny and I can both copy from him at once!"

"Hey, I didn't –" protested the Ethans, while Benny tried vainly to surreptitiously kick Rory.

"There were two of you and you _still_ didn't notice?" asked Sarah, incredulous.

Ethan blushed. So did Ethan. Benny sat down. Ethan pointedly sat on the other side of Sarah.

"So what exactly are we going to do about this?" asked Sarah, gesturing to the Ethans on either side of her.

Benny looked seriously at them both. "You do want to go back to being one person, don't you?"

They nodded. "Of course. It's really too strange, seeing yourself walking around -"

"- And with blonde hair," commented Ethan. "There's no way that we would be able to keep this up, even if we wanted to."

Benny nodded, distracted. "I don't know how to reverse it. For all I know, it might just wear off after a while. The spell book is at home, so later on, we might get some clue, but we're just going to have to wait for now."

"What about your grandma? Would she know?"

Benny looked sheepish. "Probably, but – uh –"

"You'd be in quite a lot of trouble?" supplied blonde Ethan.

"Think trouble, and then double it."

Ethan looked at Ethan. "We can do that."

"Yeah… So I'd prefer it if we kept this between ourselves," urged Benny.

Sarah looked thoughtfully at each of the pair in turn. "Are you sure about changing back? I mean, one of you would – I don't know – stop existing? Die, even."

Ethan frowned. "I'm not sure. I think what would happen is that we would both merge back into being one Ethan again, except now there would be a period in which he – _I_ – has parallel memories of the same events." He winced and rolled his tongue around his mouth. "The grammatical conventions of this situation are really awkward…"

"You're really fine with this?" pressed Sarah.

"Yes!" chorused the two.

"It just seems, I don't know, morally ambiguous to say the least."

The dark haired Ethan sighed. "Sarah, Rory is currently eating a rat. And, to his credit, in the circumstances, doing it very delicately, and I'm pretty sure that only about half of the canteen has noticed. We're not really in a position to –"

There was a flash of light behind his eyes, and he suddenly saw Sarah from the other side. After another flash, he returned to the original side. He stared at his blonde double, who looked back, open mouthed in confusion.

"Go on," said Benny, frowning at Ethan. "You just stopped."

"Did –?" they started at once, looking closely at each other.

"No," said Ethan, shaking his head. "I'm sure it was just a trick of the … mind."

Rory wrinkled his nose in confusion, completely lost. "What _are_ you two talking about?"

Ethan frowned. "I thought I –" His voice faltered, and he looked down at the table.

"- We swapped places. Just for a moment," explained the other one, speaking very slowly, his eyes unfocused. "I think we did, anyway…"

Benny looked a little worried. "I could be something to do with your psychic powers, I suppose. You might be able to enter each other's minds. But I've not heard of it being possible. You are a pretty special case, though."

"Well, I'm in two minds about that," said Ethan with a wan smile. He glanced keenly across at himself. "Do you think it might be a problem?"

Benny shrugged. "I don't know. If it happens a lot in the next few hours, I'd certainly be concerned, though."

"But it probably won't," said Rory, confidently, going back to his rat.

* * *

"According to Hooke's Law, the –"

"- stiffness of the spring is 0.7."

"Excellent, Ethan," said the teacher, facing the board. Benny head snapped around from his doodling in his notebook. He was sure that it had come from two different places – Ethan beside him, and the Ethan next to Rory.

"And can anyone, therefore, tell me what the elastic potential energy is?"

"12 –"

"– .5 –"

"– Joules."

"Good, uh, Ethan, again," said the teacher glancing round to check exactly where he was sitting. Next to Benny, as usual. His cousin, in the usually empty chair next to Rory, looked very like him. Strange how genetics turned out in families…

Benny looked up at Ethan, who was frowning with a vacant expression on his face. "Ethan?" whispered Benny.

"Hmm?" said Ethan, focusing on him.

"Is it happening again?"

"Not that much, –"

"– no," whispered Ethan to Rory. Rory looked at him, bewildered. "What?"

His expression changing slightly, Ethan stared blankly at him. "I'm sorry, were you saying –"

"– something?" muttered Ethan to Benny, before his face froze, and he found himself looking at a now very worried Benny.

"You keep zoning out, E. It's getting worse."

"I only caught half of –" said Ethan, frowning. His eyes widened, and then then glazed over. After another moment, they returned to normal. Disorientated, they both looked desperately at both of their friends. "Help…" they said, in small voices.

Neither Benny or Rory had any idea what to do, but decided at once that they needed to get both of the Ethans out of school as quickly as possible. At the same time, Benny and Rory stood up, about to ask if they could leave, but, just as they did so, the school bell rang, and everyone else scrambled to their feet.

The word "Sir…?" died in their mouths, and they hauled their respective Ethan out into the corridor.

"Ethan!" said Benny, sharply. "We have to get you both home."

Ethan frowned. "But –"

"- what –"

"- about –"

"- fifth –"

"- period?" They spluttered alternately, going through spasms as they changed from one body to the other.

"This is too serious, Ethan! You're – I don't know what could happen!"

"But –" protested them both at the same time, which, as they transferred mid-word, left them in a confused stuttering loop. Benny motioned to Rory who grabbed both Ethans.

"Sorry, guys," he said, and flashed off with them out of school.

Benny hurried off to fetch Sarah, all thoughts of the various kinds of trouble he would be in completely blown from his mind.

* * *

Dragged along by Sarah, Benny arrived at his house only minutes behind Rory. Sarah let him go, stopping abruptly. Benny carried on going, barrelling into Rory. Picking himself up, he looked over at the two Ethans, who were now staring vacantly at each other.

"Ethan? And Ethan?" he said, waving his hand in front of them. No response.

He frowned at Rory. "What's wrong with them?"

Rory shook his head. "They've been like this ever since they got here. I think they're switching back and forth between bodies too quickly for them to sort out their thoughts. It escalated really fast."

Sarah bent down and looked into the eyes of the two identical boys. They were flickering, very slightly. That was the only thing about the pair of them that was moving, though.

"You're right, Benny, we need to end this _now_."

He gulped, nodded, and went up the stairs to the front door. He hesitated, glanced back at the motionless copies of Ethan, and then summoned the courage to knock.

Almost before his knuckle had left the pain of the door, it swung open.

"Where are they?" asked his grandmother, a relieved, if reproachful, expression on her face.

Benny pointed silently. His grandma paled as she saw their condition.

"Bring them in, and quickly," she said, already hurrying back into the house. "But don't let them touch!"


	24. Change Me Back - Part 6

**Over and over**

Rory and Sarah took an Ethan each and carried them bodily into Benny's grandma's study, where they propped them up in opposite corners. By now, their eyes were flitting from side to side so fast that they were little more than a blur.

His grandmother was quite calm, but Benny could tell that she was worried, due to the fact that she hadn't found the time to be angry with him. Yet. He looked helplessly at the two Ethans. He really hadn't expected this to happen.

His grandmother grimaced and turned over the page of the spell book. "I've been looking over this all day, ever since I found you reading it this morning, Benny. I thought I'd ripped out this page, as it's one I didn't want you to try out." She sighed. "I should have done it properly, as it only made you more curious, didn't it?" She looked resignedly over at her grandson, who nodded, ashamed.

"Can you fix it?" he asked, quietly, looking down at the floor. Rory and Sarah waited for her response in tense silence.

She hesitated, and then nodded. "I think I can. But I'm going to need all three of you if there's not going to be any permanent problems."

Benny shivered. Permanent problems? What might they be?

His grandmother saw his expression, and put a hand on his arm kindly. "Don't worry. That's unlikely."

He looked up at her, his eyes afraid, but he nodded.

"What do you need us to do?" asked Rory.

"You and Sarah need to hold up Ethan. Keep them a couple of metres or so apart."

Not understanding, but assuming that she knew what to do, the two did as they were told.

"Right, now, Benny," his grandma said, giving him a piece of blue chalk. "I want you to draw a ring around one of them."

Frowning, Benny knelt down next to the nearest of them and drew a rough circle. At the same time, with a piece of red chalk, his grandmother drew a ring around the other, and then drew a third, white, circle an equal distance from the other two.

Benny stood up, and frowned. "What's that noise?" Sarah and Rory listened, and nodded in agreement.

"That's _really_ high pitched," said Rory, wincing slightly.

Benny grandma looked baffled for a minute, before her eyes widened in understanding. "I can't hear it, but I think Ethan's mind is now switching between his bodies so quickly that it's actually making a sound as it passes along the psychic link. That's … unusual." She snapped up a little straighter. Now, Benny, draw a line from the outside of each circle to mine." As he did so, she did the same thing, but on the other side of each ring.

Benny looked up. "Now what?"

"Get into the middle of the triangle, near the empty ring."

He nodded and hurriedly did so, aware of the whine of Ethan's minds growing louder.

Going over to the cupboard, his grandma took a few handfuls of herbs. Balancing the book in one hand, she spoke a few words and threw the herbs into the empty ring. The vanished as soon as they crossed over the edge, which began to glow white. At the same time, the rings with the Ethans in glowed blue and red.

There was a gasp from Rory.

"Don't let them go!" called out Mrs Weir, without looking up. Benny twisted his head round to see what was happening. Both Ethans had gone blurry. It was as if they had become smudged in a rain storm. The whine grew louder and louder in their ears, becoming increasingly painful.

Benny's grandmother muttered some more words. Now each track between the circles glowed red, then blue, and finally purple. "When I say, Rory, Sarah, I want you to let go of your Ethan and then break the circle inside the tracks. Benny, I want you to do the same with the empty circle."

Mrs Weir murmured another phrase, and then looked up. "Now!"

There was a brief silence, and then the soft scrape of four chalk lines being rubbed out with a finger.

Instantly, one Ethan dissolved into weird blue dust, and the other into red, before slumping down and into the purple channels. Once there, they sped along until the hit the white circle, at which point they began to swirl upwards into a purple human shape. The whine grew to a roar, and then crashed into silence, which, in its suddenness, seemed paradoxically deafening.

Ears ringing, Benny looked up at the back of a confused Ethan, who then swayed backwards dizzily. Getting up quickly, Benny caught him, and set him square on his feet. Blinking dazedly, Ethan stared around at the others, his eyes unfocused.

They waited for him to speak.

Ethan blinked, slowly, twitched his head as if to remove an irritating fly, and then smiled broadly at them. "I guess I'm the lesser of two evils then?"

There was a pause. "_That's_ the best you can do?" asked Sarah, incredulous, but laughing all the same.

"Well, two heads are better than one, so I suppose I'm now only half what I was," he said, with a grin, stepping out of the circle. He looked around. "Everything OK?"

They nodded. "Are you sure that you're fine?" asked Rory.

"Never better," said Ethan, turning. They stared. "_What_?"

"Uh… Nice hair…" said Rory, eventually.

Ethan frowned confused, and glanced around for a mirror. The blood drained from his face when he saw himself. His hair was now streaked with blonde. He narrowed his eyes. "_Benny_!"

Benny grandmother stretched out a hand to stop him. "It's not his fault, Ethan. It will grow out, after a while."

"You mean you can't change it back now?" asked Ethan, embarrassed.

"Not really…" Even she could help but laugh slightly.

Ethan scowled, and then shrugged. "What can you do?" He looked earnestly at her. "Thank you."

"Mmm." She looked sternly at him. "What are you not going to do in the future, Ethan?"

"Er… Taste things without knowing what they are?"

"Good boy. Maybe this will teach you." She nodded, and then turned to sweep out of the room. "And the rest of you can clear up the room as punishment for truant!" she called over her shoulder.

They groaned, and went to set to work. Ethan stopped them, though.

"Wait. I'll do it. It was my stupidity."

They protested, but he refused to take no for an answer, practically forcing them out of the room.

"OK, OK, - goodbye!" laughed Sarah, flashing away.

"See you!" cried Rory, following.

Benny raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You can hardly throw _me_ out, E. I live here."

Ethan shrugged. "Stay if you like." He looked about, and then stepped closer to him. "Thank you, for – for helping me."

Benny quirked his mouth up at the side. "It's Rory that you should thank, really."

Ethan smiled. "Then pass this along to him as a thank you." With that, he leaned in and kissed Benny. After they separated, Benny appeared deep in thought.

"You know, E, I'm not absolutely sure he'd welcome that."

Ethan grinned. "Oh. You'll just have to hang on to it, then. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some chalk to clean up." With that, he turned on his heel, and knelt down on the wooden floor.

"Ethan?" said Benny.

He looked round. "Hmm?"

"The blonde hair sort-of worked, you know."

Ethan turned, an intrigued look on his face. "You think?"

"Nope." Benny laughed loudly, and dodged out of the way down the hall as Ethan threw a sponge at him. "Missed!"

* * *

A while later, Ethan had finished clearing up, and he wandered out to the front door. He'd better get home before his parents wondered where he was.

"Benny? Mrs Weir? I'm off now! See you later!" he called from the hallway. He opened the door, and turned, smiling, having heard the rapid rush of feet.

Benny looked back at him from just over his shoulder. "Bye."

Ethan smiled, and then his expression became a little anxious. "There was never anything serious that could have happened to me, right? I was always going to be OK?"

Benny nodded confidently. "Of course. You weren't in any danger."

Ethan grinned with relief. "I thought so! Everything always works out for the best."

His friend smiled back, not quite as broadly, but Ethan didn't notice. "Yeah, we're always fine in the end."

Pleased, Ethan stepped over the threshold, before turning. "Benny, you know what we were going to talk about last night?"

Benny nodded cautiously. "Yeah… We never did, did we?" he said sheepishly.

"Doing anything tonight?" Ethan asked lightly.

Benny shook his head. "I'll be over later." Ethan nodded happily, squeezed his hand affectionately, and then walked away.

* * *

Benny watched his boyfriend go into his house, before turning away and walking through to the kitchen. He sat down at the table and looked worriedly at his grandmother.

"What really could have happened to Ethan? Tell me."

She turned, her face drawn. "If it had been left much longer, his mind would have ended up stuck between the two bodies. And that would have been it – he would have been lost forever. When I pushed him back into one body, I had no idea how far gone he might be. He was very lucky. And –" She hesitated, and turned back to preparing the dinner.

"And…?" prompted Benny, nervously. She looked back, tentative.

"It's still possible that his mind isn't fully reattached. It might be slightly _loose_ at the edge."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It could be weak in places. Fragile: especially during his visions. He may get confused between his two minds– or try to flit between them. It shouldn't be much of a problem, but I'll be keeping an eye on him. At least for the next few months. But I'm sure he'll be fine." She turned back to the oven.

"Should I tell him?"

"No. Not unless you have to. It's most likely not to even have happened. He's pretty resilient. Now, do you want green beans with this, or carrots?"

Benny thought hard about what he'd just learned. "Hmm. Carrots, please!"


	25. Episode 5 - The Grey Girl

**Episode 5. From now on, these will be updated much less frequently. I'll try and do weekly, but I make no guarantees. This one is more about Rory. I think we've been quite heavy on the Ethan side in the last couple of episodes. Just a bit. As usual, _please_ review!**

* * *

The Grey Girl

* * *

**Dark house, by which once more I stand**

Since becoming a vampire, Rory felt that he had come to appreciate nature more. Not just how it tasted (and, my, wasn't rat _good_ when it came down to it), but its smells and sights and sounds. He hovered in the darkness, aware of the slight increase in temperature as the sun prepared to rise. Spring was turning rapidly this year, though it was only April, and the nights were getting shorter and warmer all the time. He didn't much mind the cold, and, in fact, the long crisp winter nights had been magical, but it was definitely time for a change. He'd watched the frost form slowly on the grass enough times for one year now, and it was definitely losing its wonder.

Rory stared out into the gloom. For him it wasn't particularly dark, but the colours of the world were different. The disappearance of the sun did take away most of the normal colours, and his night-vision gave him a view of a slightly different spectrum. He never stopped being amazed at just how many shades of blue there were, and how subtle changes and shadows complemented each other so well. Right now, the sky wasn't black, but an exceptionally dark blue, while on the horizon, where the sun would soon rise, it morphed slowly to purple – but still a dark purple, and not much off what might be considered blue. The trees and the grass, at a glance, all seemed the same indigo colour, but, on close inspection, no two leaves were truly alike, nor two blades of grass he same. And when the wind blew, everything changed, never returning to the original. He felt as if he was part of some secret world that no-one but him knew about. He wondered if other vampires thought about this.

Closing his eyes, Rory took a deep (and wholly unnecessary) breath. As the year changed, so did the air. Not many people really paid much attention to this, except in really obvious cases such as just before thunderstorms, but Rory certainly had the time to do so. Winter air was extremely sharp and clear – incredibly pure, but largely tasteless, and what there was of the taste was not especially rewarding. The spring, though, brought with it a slight cloudiness – and every year it was subtly different. The tang was always a little earthy, and often quite strong, but never as overwhelmingly drowsy as the heavy summer air or as bitter as it became in autumn. No; for now, for just this brief period, the emergence of the flowers complemented the waning crispness of the air. Rory loved it.

Remaining very still, a few feet above the ground, Rory kept his eyes shut and tried to listen closely to the world. Initially, there was nothing, and, for an instant, he felt a shock of intense isolation. It passed quickly, as it often did, but the wrenching emptiness that had appeared within him seemed to startle him particularly tonight. He was completely alone up here. Maybe it would be nice if there was someone to share it with. If only Ethan and Benny didn't need sleep. And could see in the dark. Sarah could, of course, and had tried it, but she was too impatient to focus on it. Erica didn't even want to try, and, in all honesty, Rory didn't think that she would like it much anyway.

Oh well… He focused again on the sounds around him. There was the slight whistle of the wind through the trees – a gentle sound, but one so distinctive. If he was very quiet, he could even imagine which leaves on which trees were moving. Below, in the undergrowth, he could hear the quiet scurrying of tiny creatures. Nothing large enough to eat, though, so they were all safe – at least, that was, until he got _really_ hungry. He listened on, hearing the fall of leaves and twigs; the slight crunch of undetectable movement – and, oddly, the sound of someone sighing.

Surprised, Rory dropped down from the sky instantly, landing on the stone bench beneath him without even opening his eyes. He kept very still. Nothing. No heartbeat, no breaths. Whoever it was had gone, and they hadn't seen him. Good. Time to get back up into the sky –

"Where did you come from?" said a voice at his shoulder.

Quickly, Rory opened his eyes and turned his head, startled. A face stared back. The face of a girl, no older than Rory. A sad face, pale and drawn. A grey face. A translucent face.

The face of a ghost.

"Uh, hello…" he said, uncertainly.

"Hi!" said the girl, suddenly breaking into a broad smile. "Not many people can see me, so it's nice to meet someone else."

Rory smiled back, unwittingly exposing his pointed teeth. With a little shriek, the girl jumped back, and through the stone block. She stopped, eyeing him warily, frozen half-in, half-out of the bench like a really odd statue.

Rory rushed to reassure her. "It's OK! Yes, I'm a vampire, but I don't want to hurt you. I eat animals, mostly." Rory wrinkled his nose in confusion. "Actually, even if I wanted to, how could I do anything to you? You're – you're –"

"A ghost? Mmm." She nodded morosely and tentatively slid back out of the stone, sitting next to him. "See." She waved a hand through his arm. "I know. It was sort of vestigial, I guess, from when I was alive."

"When was that?" asked Rory, trying to date the plain dress that she was wearing, and failing – it was just too generic.

"Three years ago." She caught his surprised expression. "Ghosts aren't just of long-dead famous people – they're for everyone. Equal opportunities started beyond the grave long before it ever did for the living."

She looked up at him. "I suppose you want to know how I died?"

Rory stammered something, but she cut him off. "Everybody asks eventually. It's like that's the only interesting thing about me. That I'm dead."

"So am I," pointed out Rory.

She bobbed her head from side to side. "Sort of. You've not been buried yet. People interact with you as normal. I drowned, by the way. Can you fly?"

The sudden change of topic sent Rory off into confusion. "Oh, uh, yeah… Can ghosts not fly, then?"

"Oh, yes, but we don't weigh anything. How do you do it?"

Rory shrugged. "Magic, I guess. Evil magic, or something."

There was a pause. Rory looked down at the ground and watched the first rays of sunlight creep across the grass.

"So, uh, you know, at night, do you, uh, like it?"

He looked across at her. She frowned. "What do you mean? Do I like the night?"

"Well – yeah. It's peaceful, isn't it?"

She nodded gloomily. "I suppose. It's all I know."

Rory looked up quickly. "Why?"

"Wait, and watch," she said. Rory's frown deepened.

"I don't –"

She put her finger to her lips and he fell silent. As he did so, the light reached the bench. Quite quickly, she became more and more transparent, until she was just an outline. "Goodbye, Rory…" came the faintest whisper. Then she was gone.

Rory stared in astonishment. "Hello? Are you still there?"

There was no answer. No sounds. It seemed that she only existed at night. He looked at the empty space on the bench where she had just been. He didn't even know her name.

"Goodbye…" he mouthed, before getting up and walking off home, his mind filled with thoughts. Who was she? Why was she a ghost? Would he ever see her again? He frowned. He'd just have to go back there again that night.


	26. The Grey Girl - Part 2

**Doors, where my heart was used to beat**

Rory waited by the bench in the darkness. It had been six days now since he had first seen the girl, and he hadn't seen any trace of her in that time, though he'd watched the bench from the shadows for the whole week. He was starting to doubt whether he had even seen her the first time. But that was ridiculous. It had definitely happened! He had a vivid imagination, as his mum said – Ethan and Benny often muttered something quite different – but there was no way that he could have invented that whole conversation.

But if it had been real, why hadn't she come back?

He sighed. Maybe he was just being silly. Erica would have said so. Ethan and Benny would have said so. Sarah would have tried to say something positive, but she would, eventually, agree with the others. Why was it so important to him to meet this girl again? It wasn't as if he was lonely. He always had his friends nearby, and they were always pleased to see him. Well, maybe not at three in the morning, but…

He really should remember that Ethan and Benny weren't vampires. It would be so much more convenient if they were. He had no idea why anyone wouldn't want to be one. In fact, he didn't know why people were scared of vampires – if they bit you, you got to live forever! And fly! And eat rats! OK, there were some vampires that went too far and killed people, but, you know, there were people like that, too. Bad vampires weren't evil because they were vampires; they were evil because they had been bad people, surely? If, say, Ethan was to become a vampire, he wouldn't suddenly flip out and go all evil.

So why didn't he just bite them? They would thank him in the long run. Probably. And it would be a very long run. Think of all the fun they could have, twenty-four hours a day. It would certainly stop him waiting by a bench all night for a week looking out for some no-show ghost. He put his head to one side and sat down heavily on the bench. He thought about Sarah. About how she had been desperate not to be a vampire. About her fears for the future – her endless future. She hadn't wanted to be immortal. Maybe Ethan and Benny didn't either. It would be wrong of him to enforce that on them if they didn't want to. Imagine if either of them fell in love with a human. _He_ was fine, because he loved Erica, and they were obviously meant to be together forever, but Benny and Ethan might not be so lucky. It had been awkward enough when Ethan and Sarah had been close to going out, though, again, Rory wondered if it would have been easier if Sarah had just bitten Ethan and had done with it. He still wondered why he'd turned her down. Had that been the reason? She would never age? Well, that should have been easily solved, he reckoned.

He sighed again. Maybe he wasn't the only one that was being silly. He glanced around cursorily, in the vain hope that the ghost would have returned. He looked dully back in front of him. He frowned. Wait…

He twisted his head to the right. She waved, one eyebrow raised. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Oh!" Rory gasped, and jumped backwards, quite like she had done on discovering that he was a vampire. Unfortunately, being rather solid, he just smacked into the stone back of the bench and remained roughly where he was, his mouth hanging open, slack. "Uh…"

She waited patiently.

"But you weren't there a minute ago! And I've been watching this bench for hours…"

"I'm a ghost. We appear and disappear on a whim. You get pretty good at sneaking up on people." She blushed, or, at least, her face went a darker grey. "It's quite good fun scaring people like that." She looked thoughtful. "I suppose that that's the central role of a ghost… Anyway, vampire boy, what were you thinking about? You certainly had a really weird expression on your face."

Rory shook his head after a long pause. "I'd rather not, if you don't mind… It would just be a bit – uh – hard to understand."

She shrugged. "OK. It really looked like it was bothering you, but … OK."

There was another pause. Then Rory looked across at her. "Have you been here every night?"

She frowned at him. "No. Have you?"

He nodded. "I've been waiting for you to come back."

She threw her hand to her mouth in shock. "You've been waiting the whole week for me? I'm so sorry! I've been haunting other places."

Rory looked down at his shoes. "Well, uh, I guess I should have known that you wouldn't stay in the same place every night. But, I suppose, I could have still gone to them in the wrong order."

She nodded in agreement, and then looked over at him curiously. "_Why_ were you looking for me?"

He shrugged. "I was just really curious about you. I've never met a ghost before." He corrected himself: "Well, not one that I could talk to and wasn't trying to decapitate me…"

She raised an eyebrow. "That happens a lot?"

He looked at her disbelievingly. "This is Whitechapel. Where have you been for the last year and a half?"

"Dead."

Rory pulled a face. "Yeah… But you must have noticed the ramp up of supernatural stuff lately? You're part of it, surely?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I'm a ghost – I live on the edge of all worlds, natural and supernatural. I don't really pay attention to things much." She frowned. "But, recently, if anything, I'd say that there has been a decrease in supernatural energy recently. Ever since New Year. Apart from a strange reality bump a month or so ago. As a ghost, I _really_ noticed that."

Rory looked down at the ground again. "Er…"

She laughed, incredulous. "Did you have something to do with that?"

"Well, not exactly…" He bit his lip. He put his hands up defensively. "It wasn't strictly _me_ that did it!"

She smiled, and thought again. "No, apart from that I've not seen anything odd, except, maybe, for this boy with strange hair."

Rory's head flicked around. "Really? Like what?"

"Like two different colours. He comes here every now and again, looks confused, and then wanders off." She narrowed her eyes at him. "You again?"

Rory tipped his head from side to side. "Again, not actually _me_, but…" he trailed off, and looked away.

Grinning, the girl flicked her hair back. "Are you sure it's Whitechapel that's weird, or just _you_?"

Rory looked sheepish. "There might be some truth in that… Maybe I just attract awesomeness!" He beamed at her. She rolled her eyes. "Anyway – what's your name?"

"Cathy."

"Rory." He held out a hand politely, and then realised his mistake. Very deliberately and sarcastically, she waved her hand through his.

"Nice to meet you, Rory."

He massaged his fingers. "That felt really weird." He winced. "So, how did you become a ghost?"

Cathy looked off into the distance. "When I died – I – I separated off from my body. I don't know how. Maybe it was the shock of it. All I know is that when they pulled my body out of the water, they didn't pull _me_ out with it. I floated around for a bit, staring into the murky water, not really believing that I was dead. After a while, though, I got used to it. I learnt how to move around. I learnt the rules of being a ghost. You can't come out during the day. You can't go too far from where you died, or you just spring back. It's like I'm on a gigantic ethereal bungee." She looked over at him. "How did you become a vampire?"

"As you might expect, someone bit me. I really like it, though. It's amazing!" He stared hard at Cathy, an earnest expression on his face. "Do you like being a ghost?"

She shook her head slowly. "No. It's so very lonely. I was sixteen when I died. I had friends, I went to parties, I had fun! Now I mooch around park benches in the middle of the night."

"To be honest, quite a lot of teenagers do that anyway," put in Rory.

She shrugged. "They grow out of it. I never will." Her normally cheerful face fell. "I know I can't go back. I'm dead, and I have to accept that. But I just wish that I could be gone as well. What is it that I want? I want to die – properly."

Crestfallen, Rory looked at her sympathetically. "Is there any way to do that?"

"I don't know," she said, sadly. "I've never met anyone who thinks that it is."

Rory suddenly brightened. Here was something he could do. "Well, you have now!" he declared.

Cathy stared at him. "What?"

"I'm going to find a way to stop you being a ghost. Cathy – _I_ am going to kill you, and kill you properly!"


	27. The Grey Girl - Part 3

**A hand that can be clasped no more**

Rory slipped in through his bedroom window, as he did every morning. His foot caught on the window ledge, causing him to tumble to the floor, among the small pile of dirty clothes. As he did every morning. Pushing himself up from the carpet, Rory headed swiftly over to his bed, where he changed into his pyjamas. He had to still give some semblance of normality, or his mum would get really suspicious.

Now, how to go about researching ghosts… Sitting on his bed, which hadn't been slept in for months, Rory rolled over to one side and rummaged around in his bedside cabinet. After a while, right at the bottom, and a bit dusty, he found what he was looking for. With a tug, he pulled the little object out of the drawer. He tried to blow the dust off of it, but after a moment, realised why this was impossible. Instead, he pressed the catch and the box sprang open, sending the dusted showering into the air. He took out his glasses and perched them on the end of his nose. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

He bounded over to his cluttered desk, eventually extracting a pen and a sheet of paper from the mess. He powered up his laptop and then stared through his glasses at the blank sheet, tapping his pen against it occasionally. Well, now he _looked_ the part (or so he supposed, looking as he was into the empty mirror on the wall), he now had to do some actual research.

He considered. What would Ethan and Benny do now? Correction: what would _Ethan_ do now?

Rory drummed his fingers on the desk, hoping for inspiration. He span around on his swivel chair and scanned his bookshelves. Was there anything there that could help him? Batman – Spiderman – Superman – nothing. Not even a Hallowe'en edition that might have had ghosts in. He turned back to the computer. Feeling a bit stupid at doing so, he typed "ghosts" into the search bar.

31,100,000 results. Great. Was this how Ethan did it? Did he now have to look through all these results on the slim chance that someone who wasn't a complete lunatic had posted something vaguely useful on some weird corner of the internet? He groaned. Sometimes he felt left out when Ethan and Benny went off to research and plan these things. Now he really didn't mind about it.

No. Come on, Rory, he thought to himself sternly. Whatever Ethan and Benny can do, you can do as well. There must be a system to make this easier, some way to refine it. Cathy was depending on him. He thought for a while, and then tried a few new search terms. That narrowed it down a bit. He added a few more words to his search, then closed down some options. Maybe he was getting a bit closer here…

A few web-pages started to catch Rory's eye. He began scribbling down a few notes. Some of them were obviously written by crazy people – others by the simply ill-informed. Here was even one page devoted to the supernatural in Whitechapel, and putting all the strange happenings down to the town council putting drugs into the water supply. Rory laughed at that. There probably were weird things in the water, but it was much more likely him and Benny that had put them there.

Occasionally, though, there was something that seemed useful. Rory got dragged into it, ploughing across vast chunks of the internet. He was just scribbling notes onto his eighth sheet of paper when he was startled by a sharp knock at the door. He closed his laptop quickly and shot over into bed, burying himself under the covers.

His door opened a little, and his mum poked her head around it. She looked at him staring up at her from his pillow, stifling a yawn, his hair fanned out like a halo behind him. She sighed.

"Rory! If you don't get up and have breakfast now, then you'll be late for school."

He rubbed his eyes and faked another yawn. "Yes, Mum," he said, swinging himself lazily out of bed, his ill-fitting pyjamas twisted and crushed around him.

She smiled indulgently at him. "Good boy. Breakfast's waiting!" She frowned at the wall behind him, shook her head slightly, and then left. As she went down the stairs, Rory could hear her mutter something about not knowing anyone who liked his bed so much. Smiling wanly, he turned back to his desk for his notes. He frowned. Where were they?

After a brief search, he remembered the odd expression his mum had had on her face. He looked at the wall behind his bed. Pressed there by the speed of his movement from the chair to his bed hung his sheets of paper. With a laugh, Rory peeled them off the wall before bounding downstairs for breakfast.

* * *

"Goodbye, dear," said his mum, bending down to give him a kiss. Rory squirmed embarrassedly. He wished that she would do this on the front step. He glanced around, desperately hoping that there was nobody around to see. He didn't really know anyone that lived on his street, but it still bothered him what they thought. He had no idea why, though. He didn't care what people thought of him at school. It was something about bringing his home-life into the rest of his life. Particularly when there was so much that his mum didn't know about.

By now, she had got out a handkerchief and was rubbing some dirt from his cheek. He pulled away. "Mum! I'll be late!"

She nodded. "At least you'll be clean," she said, absently. "Don't forget to buy some new contact lenses on the way home – have you run out?"

He stared at her blankly, and then he remembered that he was still wearing his glasses. "Uh… Yeah. I'll get some – Bye!"

With that, he hurried off down the road. His mum smiled wearily, before closing the door and going back in to her husband. "Do you think Rory sleeps for _too_ long?" she mused. "Maybe we should get him to go to bed later…"

He stared vacantly at her, his wispy grey hair falling over his eyes. "Who?"

"Rory."

"Oh. Um, well, I suppose you could try. It doesn't do much harm though. It would be worse if he were going out all night."

"True." She frowned. "When did he start wearing contact lenses?"

"I thought his eyesight just got better. The optician said that it was a miraculous recovery, bordering on the supernatural, remember?"

She nodded dubiously. "More coffee?"

* * *

Rory wandered into school, his laptop under one arm, and headed straight for his locker. Opening it up, he cleared away some of his junk, some of which was definitely still moving, before stacking his notes inside. He hadn't seen a pattern yet, but he was determined to keep looking –

"Hi, Rory!" said Benny at his left shoulder.

Rory span around, closing his locker sharply behind him. He found himself between Ethan and Benny (did they go _everywhere_ together?). Both of them smiled cheerily at him. "Hi!" replied Rory, grinning widely. He didn't want them to get suspicious. He wanted to keep this to himself.

Ethan looked quickly across at Benny, and then at Rory. "Are you doing anything tonight?" The two of them looked at him hopefully.

Rory opened his mouth automatically to say that he wasn't – which would be completely usual – before remembering his project. He nodded. "I am. Sorry guys."

Rory didn't quite catch the expression that flickered across Ethan's face, but it ended with what looked like disappointment, so that's what it must have been. Benny shrugged. "Oh well. That's a shame."

Rory raised any eyebrow. "Why? Were you thinking of doing something special?"

Ethan shook his head. "Not really. Just hanging out. Regular Tuesday stuff. We just wondered if you'd be joining us, like you normally do."

Rory shook his head. "I won't be. I've got – I've got something on. Next week, though…?"

Ethan nodded and spread a smile across his face. "Of course! You know us. Always the same. And on Friday, too."

"Oh, I'll be able to come round on Friday," said Rory happily.

Benny wrinkled his nose for an instant, before breaking into a wide smile. "Looking forward to it!"

Rory nodded slowly. "Yeah… But we don't normally organise these in advance. Are you sure there's nothing special going on?" He frowned. "It's not your birthday again, is it?"

"No, no, I've had just about all the birthday I can manage for this year…" muttered Ethan. "And Benny's isn't for another couple of months."

Rory nodded, trying to appear like he hadn't forgotten.

Curious, Benny leaned forwards and put an arm around Rory's shoulder. "What are _you_ doing tonight?" He winked. "Spending it with Erica?"

Rory grinned dopily. "She'll warm to me eventually!"

Ethan smiled kindly at him. "Of course. I don't doubt it."

The bell went, making the three of them jump. They turned and hurried off towards their first class.

"Rory?" asked Benny, as they rounded the corner. "Are you not taking any books to lessons today?"

In a flash, an embarrassed Rory zoomed back towards his locker.


	28. The Grey Girl - Part 4

**Behold me, for I cannot sleep**

Rory sloped into his room, dumped his bag on the floor, and flung himself onto the bed. He bounced off, flying upwards towards the ceiling. A few inches away, though, he stopped himself, and hung in mid-air, staring at the grooves and ridges of the plaster. He wrenched off his glasses and massaged his eyes. He crossed and then uncrossed his eyes. It really hurt, wearing glasses when you didn't need to. It felt like his brain had twisted up at the front. He had no idea why he'd carried on wearing them all day. He shook his head briskly, and focused on a spot a few centimetres above his nose. There. That was a little better. He was amazed that no-one had commented on his sudden return to wearing glasses after nearly eighteen months. People just didn't bother themselves with these things, he supposed.

With a sigh, he dropped back down to his bed, sinking into it. No matter how hard he'd tried that day, he'd had no luck in finding a solution to Cathy's problem. He'd pored over web-pages, print-outs, and had even snatched a few brief glances at Benny's spell book, but all to no avail. But he had to find some way of doing it! There must be a way…

He sat bolt upright and kicked his heels against the end of his bed. How to do it… He frowned and stared at the carpet. The last time they'd tried to deal with a ghost, they'd only managed to transfer the spirit from place to place. That wasn't what Cathy wanted. She just wanted to disappear. Maybe if he – no, that would never work. He bit his lip in frustration.

Rory's eye was drawn across the room to his phone, which lay, temptingly, on his desk. He only needed to pick it up and Ethan and Benny would help him. His fingers twitched. It _would_ make everything a lot easier. Certainly research was _boring_. And Ethan liked this kind of thing. And Benny would go along with whatever Ethan liked, just for something to do. They could probably even get Sarah involved if she was feeling bored. It wasn't like she or Erica had anything else to do these days. They'd both been accepted into the University of Toronto. That was lucky really, for, if they really needed them, they wouldn't be too far away. You could fly there in less than half an hour from Whitechapel. But he was digressing…

Rory stood up, his hand outstretched. Then he sat down again with a sudden bump. No. He'd promised Cathy that he would do this. _He_ would do this. On his own. He would prove to himself (and the others) that he was just as capable of handling a supernatural project as they were. Better, maybe. Given Benny's current track record, all he had to do was not destroy the universe. Or kill Ethan.

He went over to his desk, and firmly pushed his phone away. He opened up his laptop and put his glasses back in their case. Right. Forget about trying to be Ethan. He was just going to try and do it the Rory way. Whatever that might be. There must be something on putting ghosts to rest. That might be a more promising search topic. After that, he would just have to rely on his vampire powers and intuition. Or just randomly guess. He tapped away on the keyboard, and pretty soon was lost in the paths of the internet.

* * *

That night, Rory waited impatiently on the bench, banging both of his trainer-clad feet into the plinth. Where was she? It had taken a long time, and some inspired guesswork, but he was pretty sure that he knew how to do it. He was immensely excited, and rather proud of himself. He really had worked it out on his own, with no help from anyone else. Of course, it might not work, but, then, even the plans that Ethan made often needed some, uh, _adjustment_ before they actually solved the problem.

He stared around at the gathering darkness. He wondered why she wanted to die. Surely even life as a ghost was better than just nothing? Maybe it was just a lingering on, helpless, unable to affect anything, but she could still talk to people. She was still around, even if she could only come out at night. He remembered being dead. Permanently dead, that is. Well, as it had turned out, temporarily permanently dead, but, for that day or so in which he had been in limbo, it had seemed like forever. Just an endless void, in which he would never see anyone that he loved again. The eternal monotony of nothingness.

He shivered as recalled the moment in which he had disintegrated. He'd never told any of the others about it, or the fact that, sometimes, when he closed his eyes, he relived it, if his mind drifted towards the memory. When that happened, he was glad that he no longer slept or dreamed. He knew that that was exactly the sort of thing that would come up again and again in his nightmares. But he didn't have nightmares, so that was OK –

– Rory shuddered as a sharp pain exploded in his chest. He lurched forwards, flapping his hands ineffectually at his body. For a moment, it felt like thousands of hooks and been attached him, and were now trying to turn him inside out –

It only stopped when one of his flailing hands brushed against the knotty scar on his chest through his top. That brought him back to his senses, as he realised that it was only another memory. He leaned back, eyes wide, on the bench. If he could breathe, then this would be the point at which he would be gasping for breath. He sort-of wished that he _could_ do that. It would at least give some kind of sense that it was over. Rory wiped away the beads of sweat that had formed on his brow and gazed blankly in front of him. He really hated those flashbacks. It only reinforced his confusion as to why anyone would want to die.

"Rory? Are you OK?"

"Huh?" He twisted his head around to see her watching him anxiously from the other end of the bench. He nodded weakly. "I'm fine," he lied. He tried to smile, but, unusually, nothing came. He stared at her, his eyes unfocused, for a long while. She continued to look concerned.

"Are you sure? You're really pale. And that's coming from me…"

"Hmm…? Oh, it's nothing really… Just – just a bad dream. Or something." He frowned briefly, unconsciously running his hand up and down the scar on his chest. Eventually he blinked, and returned to normal. "Anyway, I think I've found a way to, uh, do it!" He beamed widely at her, anxious for her not to pursue his strange behaviour. Cathy took the hint.

"So, how is it done?"

As Rory went to explain, he found that he couldn't look directly at her. He _was_ talking about killing her, after all.

"Well, er, it looks like we have to go back to the place where you, uh, died…" He glanced up briefly, taking in her sad, but calm, expression. He looked down again. "Once there, if we can get to the exact same position then we can tap into the energy that dying, apparently, creates. There's a link between your body, the place where you died, and your ghostly form. If we can line them up, then the ghost bit can just be sent back along the link to become part of the body again. The body is, um, dead, and so, in going back to being part of it, so will the ghost."

"And that's it? Just need to be there?"

Rory winced and then looked even more pointedly away from her. "Not quite… Well, in a way, I guess…"

"What do you mean?" she asked, baffled.

"Oh, er…" Rory rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "… I, um, it seems, uh, that _both_ of the, uh, _pieces_, of you need to be there."

He looked up again, and found her looking straight at him with unblinking eyes. She held his gaze. "Are you saying that you need my corpse?"

"Well, uh, yeah, I suppose so…"

The girl frowned. "What if I was cremated?"

Rory's eyes widened. "Were you?" he breathed in a horrified tone.

She shook her head and the corner of her mouth twitched. "No. I was just messing with you." She smiled a little wider. "Do we need to go grave robbing, then?"

Rory tipped his head from side to side. "Well, if _you_ come with me, I'm not entirely sure that it counts as _robbing_ exactly. If I've got your permission, then surely it's just, uh, borrowing…"

She laughed. "If you want to put it like that, I suppose. If it makes you feel better." She waved her ghostly hands through the bench. "You're going to have to do the digging, though."

Rory nodded, and then his face took a serious cast. "Are you sure about this?"

She nodded unhesitatingly. "Yes, Rory, I'm sure. It's so painfully lonely being like this; always watching and waiting on the edge. Seeing your friends and family, but never being able to interact with them. All the time I'm surrounded by what I've lost. I've no idea what being dead is like, or if there's anything afterwards, but I know that I don't want this half-life."

Rory hesitated. Should he tell her what he knew? No. Everyone had to find out in their own time. He nodded. "OK. If you're committed." He stood up and held out a hand decorously. "Care to join me on a trip to the cemetery?"

For the first time, Cathy hesitated. She stood up as well, and put her head to one side thoughtfully. "Not yet, Rory. I think I'd like to have a last night before I'm gone forever. We can do the, uh, deed just before dawn." She held out her own hand to Rory. "Will you stay with me for my final hours?"

Slightly taken aback by her sincerity, Rory nodded slowly. "Of course." He stood next to her and looped his arm carefully through the gap between her ghostly arm, taking great pains not to cross through her mist-like form. "Where would you like to go?"


	29. The Grey Girl - Part 5

**He is not here; but far away**

As soon as Rory accepted her offer of sharing her last night in the world, Cathy started to float upwards. For a moment, Rory didn't realise, and then hovered hurriedly after her.

"Wait!" he called out, somewhat destroying the dignity of the situation.

She waited for him to reach her, looking at him with a resigned expression. "Do keep up, Rory."

He bit his lip embarrassedly. "Sorry…" he mumbled.

She tilted her head to the left, and stared at him for a long while, before suddenly breaking into a laugh and bounding away into the sky. Rory kept close to her ghostly heels. "Come on!" she called back to him.

"Where are we going?" he shouted across at her.

"Just a few places from my past," she replied, smiling sadly. "I want to show someone, at least, before…" She lapsed into silence and led him across the park. She touched down on, and then carried on a short distance into, a broad asphalt square. Rory recognised it as the children's play area, characterised by its swings and seesaws. He looked curiously at her.

"Why…?"

"My mum and dad used to take me here when I was little. I'd play on the swings and stuff all day if I could. My friends and I would come here all the time. Did you?"

Rory wrinkled his nose and tipped his head from side to side. He, Benny, and Ethan had never really been ones for swings and parks. "I've _been_ here, yeah, with my mum and dad, but I can't say that it was a _big_ part of my childhood."

"Mmm. Well, it was quite a big part of mine. Quite a big part of my whole _life_, if you think about it…" She looked sad again, but then shook herself. "They'd never let me come here after dark, though, even when I was much older. I have no idea why. I mean, look at it."

He did. There was nothing out of the ordinary at all. The swings hung in their chains as still as if they had never moved – though that sounded unnatural, in the way they sat there it seemed totally normal. As far as he could tell, it was a normal play area (not that he was particularly familiar with what that was, of course).

Rory looked thoughtful "Maybe they didn't want you going out at night. There might be older kids that hang around. They might have caused trouble."

She nodded slowly. "Maybe." She smiled wanly. "For instance, I happen to know that you can find a vampire lurking in the shadows…"

Rory looked confused, and then realised: "What…? – _Oh!_ – Me?"

She nodded, smiling all the while. Then her face went back to its blank expression. "Anyway, even when I was seventeen – the age I am now – they'd let me go anywhere but here. I always wondered why."

The two of them fell into silence for a while. Then Rory looked up. "Uh… Do you – do you want a go?"

She looked at him oddly. "On the swings?"

He nodded, feeling a bit silly.

She gestured to her ghostly body. "Uh… How exactly is that going to work?"

If Rory could, he would have blushed. This was the kind of time when Benny really was useful. He could have done something about this. Made a ghost swing or something. Rory frowned, indecisive. Maybe he could go and get him – no, that would just be weird… Imagine turning up on his doorstep and demanding that he make a ghost a swing, so that she could be happy before Rory killed her. There was just too much to explain, and Cathy's time was shrinking constantly. Besides, it would be really awkward, because he'd already told them that he was busy… Would they be offended that he'd done something on his own? He didn't think so, but he was sure that they'd inevitably take charge. Normally he was fine with that, but, well, Cathy, it seemed, was his friend. Just _his_. And, secretly, he quite liked that fact.

"Rory?" broke in Cathy, raising her eyebrows at him. "You seem miles away."

"Huh?" Rory blinked and then stared, wide-eyed at her. "Where do you want to go next?"

She smiled sadly, and went as if to squeeze his hand. "This way, Rory." Her hand passed through his, as usual, and she floated away, Rory close behind.

A few minutes after they left, a shadow swept across the playground, and the swings started to creak back and forth, all of their own accord.

* * *

Rory followed her higher and higher, up further than he'd ever flown before. They'd even, to his surprise, reached the lowest clouds before she stopped, and turned around, and sat down on one. She smiled at Rory's confusion.

"Neither it nor I are solid, Rory. It comforts me a little. Come on." She patted the sheet of wispy white next to her. "Sit."

Dutifully, and somewhat confusedly, he obeyed, taking care to hover just above the cloud. He was sure that the cold water vapour would freeze his jeans to his legs. And that would be awkward to explain. He looked questioningly at her.

She pointed down. He followed her finger. Far below was a small clearing in the middle of the park, and, in the middle, stood a battered red bench.

"That's where I used to meet my boyfriend," she said. "Sometimes we'd meet during the day, or at lunch, but mostly we'd have secret meetings at night." She sighed. "It was so romantic, sneaking out after dark…"

Rory glanced down. "Look! There are people down there now."

She peered over at the bench, and I was then that she saw that it was partially obscured by two figures kissing happily. She smiled faintly. "It's nice that people still keep up the tradition. I suppose that bench will keep on being used by couples for generation after generation."

Rory nodded slowly. Maybe he should try something like that with Erica. Some traditional romantic gesture. He looked down again, and frowned. He glanced at his watch. "It's really late. It's a bit odd for people to be out kissing so deep into the night. Especially if they're human."

Cathy shrugged. "Who knows? They might have a special reason for going out this late. It takes all sorts."

Rory looked at her slyly. "We could find out." She looked bemused. "You know, fly down there and ask them. That would really give them a night to remember, if we turned up!"

She stared at the dark haired couple for a long time. "No…" she replied, as if talking from another world, so vacant was her expression. "Let them be."

Rory shrugged. "Fine." Now it was his turn to zone out. "You know, I wish I could do that with the girl I love…"

"Have you actually asked her?"

Rory bit his lip. "Uh… Not _really_, no…"

"Well, maybe you should try it. What's the worst that can happen?" She raised an eyebrow at him wryly. "You're already _dead_."

"She could say no…" murmured Rory sadly. "And that would mean that it was all over. Forever. And, for me, that's longer than for most people."

She peeked under his bowed head, smiling reassuringly. "Hey. 'Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all'?"

He grimaced. "Victorian poetry. Yuck. Benny won't stop going on about how great it is." He looked thoughtful. "I don't know… I'll think about it."

She shrugged. "I'm only speaking as someone who actually _had_ a boyfriend. How many other people do you know with experience like that?"

"Uh…" Rory trailed off into silence. "Point taken," he muttered.

"Good." She looked down again. "Well, that pair have certainly got stamina. Come on, it's getting slightly boring now."

As she finished the last sentence, she passed through the cloud and started to float off in another direction. Rory hurried after her. He checked the altitude on his watch. They really were quite high up. Then he noticed the time. It was getting pretty late – or was it _early_?

"Where are we going?" he called out.

"The cemetery," she replied.

* * *

Not long afterwards, the pure white cloud that they had been sitting on darkened suddenly. The couple on the bench shivered and broke apart. They looked up into the sky nervously. There were no stars now, just one dark cloud. With a last, anxious, glance, they got up hurriedly and headed together towards their respective homes. Something definitely didn't feel right.

Had they stayed a little longer, then they might have seen the peeling red paint become a gloopy, tacky liquid that pooled at the iron feet of the bench.


	30. The Grey Girl - Part 6

**The noise of life begins again**

"You don't know?" Rory asked, incredulous.

Cathy shrugged. "I've never needed to. It's not like I went to the funeral, or go and visit my own grave. When I died, I left my body behind; I've not seen it since."

The two of them were standing in the gatehouse of the cemetery, where Rory was flicking through the record book to try and see where Cathy's body was buried. He wasn't having much luck.

"This would be _so_ much easier if it was on a computer…" he muttered, through gritted teeth. "I mean, these record books aren't even in alphabetical order. It's completely random!"

She looked over his shoulder. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! Look, here we have Arthur Keele, followed by Jackie Holt, and then a Liz Raynaud. Aged 67, 75, and 64 respectively. No order, at all."

Cathy narrowed her eyes at the information. Then she sighed. "Rory… They're sorted by date of burial. These were all on the same day."

"Oh…" Rory looked embarrassed. "I guess I should have noticed that."

Cathy just rolled her eyes. "Now, just flick back to around the time I died – so, April 2012."

Obediently, Rory found the appropriate set of pages. "Cathy, Cathy, Cathy…" He ran his finger down the page. No luck. "Er…"

"Try _Catherine_…?" suggested Cathy, wearily.

"Oh, yeah," said Rory, with a little laugh to cover his sheepishness. "Here you are! Plot 3389." He turned round to face her, raising an eyebrow. "Ready?"

She turned a little more transparent, but nodded in silent agreement. She drifted past Rory, and through the wall, until she was floating in the dark cemetery. Not thinking, he followed her.

"Ouch!"

She waited. His muffled voice emanated from the brick gatehouse:

"I think I'd better use the door…"

Pinching his nose to stop the bleeding, Rory meandered through the gravestones with Cathy. "I knew thab it wa' a wall…" he kept mumbling to himself. Occasionally he paused, and, to Cathy's disgust, swallowed some of the blood from his nosebleed. "Wha'? I'm a vambire!" She shook her head and hovered on ahead.

* * *

"3384…5…6" She frowned. "No 3387?"

Rory gulped down the last nose-full of blood before it could congeal, and then looked about. "Here it is; this really tiny one. You can hardly see it because the grave for 3388 is huge! Just look at it!"

She did. 3388 truly was enormous. It was massive and black, with carved cherubs, carved angels, probably even a few carved Greek gods dotted over it. As a piece of funerary architecture it was about as big a tomb as you could get before upgrading to mausoleum. Comparing with those around it only made it seem larger and more ornate, if that were possible.

Cathy sighed inside. Now her grave could only seem disappointing. Wasn't it typical that people tried to out-do each other even in death, and make each other feel small?

Rory had gone a few paces ahead, and must, therefore, have been level with 3389. He turned around to look at her, smiling kindly. He held out a beckoning hand.

Back in the gatehouse, the pages of the record book rippled in a strong breeze while the solitary security light winked out, sending the little room into total darkness.

"And – of course – you can't help – with this –" panted Rory, taking a break from shovelling earth to lean on his spade and complain. Cathy smiled smugly, hovering as she was, in perfect ease, just a few feet away.

"I'm a ghost. I _can't_ pick anything up!" Then she frowned. "But you don't breathe. How come you're out of breath?"

Rory shrugged. "I'm not really. I just thought it would make you feel guilty. I still get tired, though." Rubbing his arms, he continued to dig. "Just how deep were you buried?"

"The usual depth, I suppose –"

_Clonk!_

Rory froze, and his gaze travelled the length of his spade, right down to the tip, which was now resting on a small patch of wood. He knelt into the grave, and rooting around for the metal handles, pulled the coffin out. He looked nervously across at Cathy, who frowned with distaste.

"Should I, uh, break it open, or should we just take the whole thing to the river?" he asked.

"I think you should just give it to me," said a voice.

They turned. A tall figure, all in black, stood on the path behind them. It seemed to have no head, though, only an area of deeper darkness where its head would have been within its hood. The void seemed to tip towards them, as if inviting them to comply.

"Taking the whole thing it is, then," said Rory, hurriedly, gripping on to the coffin and preparing to leave. He glanced urgently at a frozen Cathy. "Come on!" he urged, taking to the sky, the coffin dangling from his hands awkwardly.

Finally she stopped staring at the black figure, and followed Rory as he sped off towards the river.

* * *

"Who – _what –_ was that?" spluttered Rory nervously as they came to a halt by the river bank. He glanced, frightened, over his shoulder, as if expecting the creature to be right behind them. It could well have been, but it wasn't. Yet. They would have to hurry, if they were to avoid it. Rory gulped as he realised that, even if his plan for Cathy worked, that thing would probably still be chasing him, even if he was on his own.

He looked desperately across at Cathy, who had turned almost transparent, and was focused blindly on the ground in front of her. If she hadn't been hazy around the edges already, he would have sworn that she was shaking. She didn't reply.

"Fine – er – it doesn't matter!" he said quickly, spinning around to look at the coffin. "We'll just get this over with…" At this point, though, he was just talking to himself, for Cathy had seized up with the shock of seeing … whatever it was in the cemetery. Rory glanced around. It was still just the two of them. His eye lingered on the coffin. _Three_ of them?

He shook his head. Why was everything so complicated these days? Even down to duplications. Why couldn't it just be something simple that he could bite? It always had to have some psychological component. He sighed. Best get down to prising open the coffin, he supposed.

He put his fingers under the edge of the lid, and tensed his arm, preparing to lever it off. He hesitated. How long had she been dead? A year? This could be a bit – Maybe he should just close his eyes. And his nose. He winced. Only one way to find out…

With a sharp crack, the lid broke off from the rest of the coffin. Apart from that, there was no noticeable effect of opening the coffin. No horrific smell, no buzzing of flies. It was nothing like the movies. Which, for once, Rory wasn't that disappointed about. Opening his eyes tentatively, he looked down into the box, expecting – well, now he wasn't sure what he should expect. A skeleton? A desiccated corpse? A –

The body inside was completely normal. It was almost – lifelike. It seemed like Cathy was only asleep, she was so well preserved. Though she was pale (which, of course, to Rory seemed a perfectly natural colouration) there was no other sign of death. The face and neck were as smooth, and, well, un-mouldy, as any living person's. He had to admit to being stunned, and definitely not in the way that he had expected. Modern embalmers really were good…

He looked up from Cathy to Cathy. She had now stopped staring dully at the ground, and her eyes were now fixed on her body. She floated towards it, lifting up her ghostly hand as if aiming to cup her face. For a moment it seemed, as if by some freak, that she would manage it, but then her transparent hand slipped beneath her long-dead face. That broke the spell, and snapping out of the daze, Cathy spun away from her corpse, distraught. Sobbing, she curled up in mid-air, oblivious to anything but her grief. "Why did I have to die?" she wailed.

Rory had no idea what to do. Instead, he waited, slightly awkwardly, for her to calm down. After a while, he started to fidget with the handle on the coffin. Unthinking, he pulled it back and forth, letting it drop between his fingers before catching it again. This lasted for some time before he, inevitably, missed the catch. Over-reacting, he snatched at the handle – with a little too much force, for he pulled it off of the coffin. He was so surprised by this that he didn't grip it tightly, and it dropped to the ground with a considerable clatter. Cathy jerked her head up, startled, while Rory, mortified, bent down quickly to pick up the handle again. Rather lamely, he tried to put the handle back onto the coffin, but he could find no way of attaching it.

"Um… Sorry…?" he mumbled, shuffling his feet.

There was another long pause. Finally, it was punctured by a laugh. Rory looked up to see Cathy giggling uncontrollably, her face still streaked with the traces of ghostly tears.

"Oh,_ Rory_!" she sighed, a resigned smile on her lips. She wiped her eyes, while still laughing, on the cuff of her dress. She shook herself, and looked at him more determinedly. "Right. Well, seeing as you've broken my coffin, I suppose I'd better get ready to do this."

Rory looked up at her through his fringe. "Are you absolutely sure that you're ready?"

She nodded, without hesitation. "I'm tired, Rory. Tired of just – _existing_."

He gestured towards the river. "Well, if this is the place, on you go, then."

Nodding, she glided towards the water, while Rory manhandled the body out of the coffin, lining it up with Cathy. He peered round the side, just in time to see her sink through the water. As she did so, she turned, and raised a hand to wave goodbye, a sad smile on her face.

"Rory, tha–"

She froze, staring past him at something over his shoulder. Preoccupied with keeping her corpse upright, he didn't notice her fearful expression. Somewhat absently, he looked in her direction, frowning.

"What did you say?" he said. "I wasn't listening. Is there some problem?"

She didn't reply.

"Cathy?" persisted Rory.

Before he could go any further, though, the body was lifted out of his arms. He spun around. "Wha – What!"

The black figure that they had seen in the cemetery stood a few feet behind him. Between it and Rory hung Cathy's body. The darkness in the cowl seemed to have a triumphalist air, as much as voids could express emotion. Rory felt a chill run through his soul – which was doubly impressive, since he was fairly sure that he no longer had one.

"I think that the problem might be _me_," the creature said.


End file.
